


Attack on Titan: Caged No More

by Eurydice_II_of_Macedon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon Compliant, Character Death Fix, Espionage, F/M, Gen, Marley - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2018-11-17 00:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11264418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eurydice_II_of_Macedon/pseuds/Eurydice_II_of_Macedon
Summary: Canon AU:The Year is 845.Ymir is reborn. All she remembers is the blood, tissue, and bone. All she remembers is the torment of the mindless. All she remembers is the face that haunts, the face that always reminds her that the world was cruel. That it always was, that it always has been, and that it always will be. And, as she runs away from her fate, this is how the world shall start its end.Annie Leonhart has always seen the world in a certain light. Shades of scarlet bathe her in cruelty and drown her in death. "The world is your enemy" was a saying she always lived by, but, when she meets a very determined boy who just won't give in will she come to say "that isn't so"?"You were never meant to be born" were the words Historia Reiss had molded herself around as a girl meant to be nothing, who thinks herself worthless, but, is far from either. Even if she doesn't realize it herself. Will she ever see herself for who she really is?Will humanity ever learn the origin of the Titans? Will these reluctant heroes survive in a world that resents and curses them to their crimson strings of fate, or will those strings be severed forever?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is part one, covering the 104th Trainnee Arc to the end of the Clash of the Titans Arc.

Leftover snow soaked into her clothing as she lay curled in a fetal position. The chilled voice of hunger whispered into her ear as the images crept back into her mind. The blood still licked her tongue, and vomit spewed from her mouth, her body wanting those images to be expunged and the taste of the blood to be expelled. Neither would.

She curled even tighter into a ball at the sounds that now accompanied them, as if doing so would bring comfort and make them go away; make them disappear. She wiped saliva covered finger-tips into blackened mud, nails scraping at the hard dirt underneath, and gagged. They didn’t.

The smell. _A decimated village, burning to ash and cinder, and the smoke as it billowed toward an evening sky, red as the blood staining her clawed hands as they dug into the ground, small beady black eyes staring out into the distance._

The sound. _Far away, four dark specks against the sun. Four children, huddled together. Three boys, one girl. Her prey._

The feeling. _Elongated limbs propelling her forward, and snatching one, the three remaining running for their lives in her wake._

The taste. _The insignificant whimpering, garbled noises he had made dangling above her head. Her jaws widening, biting down._

Cartilage and bone. _Snapping, breaking, pulverizing, crushing._

Skin and blood. _Swallowing, spitting, devouring, savoring._  

The images assaulted her as she tried to rise, only for her to collapse from their weight. On her stomach, the snow wetting her skin, she buried her face into the dew with the worms and other creatures in a vain attempt to suffocate them. She vomited again.

And, as she continued to lie there, another image came to her. Of someone caring and kind. Someone who told her that no matter how painful it was, that she had to keep moving. That she had to get back on her feet and keep moving. There was nothing she could do but listen.

Keep moving, she told herself, pushing herself up and looking at the bile-filled imprint of her face in the mud. Keep moving.

Scratching and tearing herself on thorns, she followed a path overgrown by time and obscured from unknown eyes until she finally reached it: shelter. Crawling up its weathered steps, weakly pressing on one of the doors, it creaked as she eased herself inside.

A long row of wooden pews lining either side were old and rotted, the various statues and crosses adorning the walls foreign and unrecognizable, and the windows were missing their stained glass décor, but, it wasn't unlike the ones she had once known. At the front, stood a lone podium. Behind it, an altar. Two large statues flanked them. Something forgotten long ago.

Using the altar as a support for her weary limbs, she stopped to catch her breath before looking up at one of them. Its dusty plaque, rusted and cracked, was cold to the touch. Small dark shapes appeared as her hand wiped across its surface. Knowing them to be letters, she stepped back and tried to sound out the word they formed, but it hurt just to look at them, and she looked back up to the statue.

The depiction of what they were. What they were called.

A... An…

“...gel. An... gel. Angel.”

Pushing herself from the altar, she crouched beside the podium. It was hollow in back and, scrunching herself into the space, putting her knees up against her chest, and resting her chin on top of her hands, her eyelids were heavy for the first time in what felt like ages…

 

"Words have meaning, but names have power. They are undying labels, etched on the sins of our behaviors."

A few days and nights passed since she first came to shelter inside the confines of the church, and in that time she had gathered twigs and broken branches from the surrounding area to build a fire.

Gazing up at distant stars through the trees — barren trees that had lost their youthfulness and color, skinny and pathetic things with no purpose other than to feed the fire she had made — she wiped and repeated those words she had heard so long ago: “Names are your past and your future. They represent who and what you are, your identity to the rest of the world.”

She couldn't remember hers. Her past. Who she was, where she was from — but, as with the letters, words, and phrases that slowly came back to her, she guessed that, given time, it would too. Huddled close to the fire, its heat warming her chilled bones and frosted skin, she looked into its heart, watching its flames lick the air and consume the wood needed to fuel its life. Crackling, wisps of light danced into the sky as ashes shimmied to the ground.

She grimaced.

Patches of snow were still here and there, but, the season was changing and, soon, grass would sprout and the sun would shine. She recalled that time would be called Spring, though nothing more than that.

From the back of her mind, it hurt as she tried to remember more and she abruptly stopped trying. "The power in a name," she whispered, reaching out to the brightest star, the pain subsiding. "What... is my name?" she asked, as if the star would answer her question. Kicking the logs of her fire around and scattering the ashes, she lumbered back inside the church once again. She glanced at the angel statue as soon as she passed it, then curled up in her usual position inside the hollowed out space of the podium.

 

_Running, running as fast as humanly possible. Running away, the world around her a sea of grass. Greens, yellows, browns. Healthy grass, weathered grass, dead grass. And there she was, just running in its midst. She wanted to keep running, but, her legs wouldn't carry her anymore. She fell._

_The ground began to shake. She tried to stand, desperately tried, but her arms wouldn't respond. The shakes turned into tremors, and she was forced to listen to them as they got closer, and closer, and closer still. Until, finally, its shadow loomed over her._

_A claw hooked underneath the skin of her back. She cried out, and silent as it hoisted her high above the sea of grass, now a scarlet shade, she stared into those black eyes, seeing herself in their reflection, before falling into its mouth as she looked up toward the sky — searching for stars that weren’t there._

_Pain. Its teeth sunk into her legs and bit through skin, muscle, and bone as she gasped. Ripping into her thighs and tearing, it chomped down on her intestines and pulled them out. She vomited acidic blood, burning her mouth. Spitting and coughing, the juices spilled down her chin and stung as they dripped onto her chest._

_The unrelenting pain. Ribs crushed, lungs squeezed, breathing intensifying as she tried to suck in more air, her heart was about to burst, full of pressure as her veins clotted from the strain and it formed into one pasty mass._

_No more. Her arms pushed on its mouth, heart ready to explode as she let out a scream that died in her throat. Snot fell from her nose and tears her eyes as the world became dark._

Jolted awake, she slammed her head into the podium and knocked it over, retreating back to the altar, sweating profusely. Fingers digging into the sides of her head, she shook violently, trying to expel the monster from her mind.

She didn't want to go back to the way she was.

Didn't want to be that way again.

She hit her head against the stone of the altar and looked down at her hands. She relaxed. They were normal hands. Cut and scrapped, normal, human hands. She winced, touching the back of her head. Something wet, something red. Blood. She was bleeding, and laughed, tears falling from her face. Staring at her now bloody fingers, she wanted her past to wash away with her tears.

Moving closer to the angel statue, she drew her bloodied hand across its surface. Agony split through her skull, her vision filling with blinding shades of red. Scarlet flashes of pain, as she tried to remember it.

Outside that decimated village, a gathering of monsters stood, watching her every move. They started to speak. Childish attempts at communicating their thoughts into one word. The word being spoken to her. The word being chanted to her.

Repeated over and over and over and over again.

Hands shaking, mind-breaking, she concentrated all her thoughts on that one word — that one desire to know her name — and bit down so hard on her hand she drew blood to keep from screaming because of the pain.

There was a sudden crash of light. Then, darkness.

 

Awhile later, her body felt incredibly hot as she slowly rose to her feet and looked around. Steam rose from the floor around the skeleton of something lying there. Something that she had been just a few hours before.

Spinning around to the scene behind her, she let out a small laugh as she stared absentmindedly at an even more ruined church, now reduced to rubble. Casting her eyes over the statue of the angel, smashed to pieces, she didn't even give it a second thought as she stumbled outside into the morning light.

Laughing even louder now, she knew what it was — what she had been waiting and searching for until now.  She mouthed it as warm, bittersweet tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her name...

... was _Ymir_.


	2. Chapter 2

Historia replayed the scene of her mother’s death in her mind for what seemed like the thousandth time: that hateful stare, those frightened eyes, her pathetic attempts at struggling against the knife as it was drawn across her throat, slicing so deep it carved into the bone. Her blood gushing forth, and the warmth when it sprayed. Running like a fountain down her neck, drenching her clothes and soaking the ground beneath her bare feet. Her final words, cut short by her killer’s blade: “If only…”

She touched her cheek where her mother's blood had hit. Directed at her, their intent had been clear enough, as she stared at the grass growing all over the field stretched out before her, stalks of wheat and barley and other grains swaying briskly in the breeze. Reclaimed territory set aside for orphans after Wall Maria's fall. Ahead was the farm, with its crooked door and broken windows, mold and decay seeping into its cracks. Her new temporary home. She had long since filled in the blanks.

“If only... you hadn’t been born.”

Eyes peeked out from the farm. Nobody had come out to greet her yet. She knew why, having been seen the same way after that night. That she was a bitch's daughter, only alive because of the father's mercy. A mercy that, she also knew, was vain. For show. Just an aside to keep his appearance in check, lest he simply become the ruthless man who murdered his mistress and subjugated his bastard child to the same fate. To not be the monster bereft of what once could be called his humanity.

They’d meant nothing from the very beginning — just a whore and her illegitimate child.

She remembered the way he fidgeted, how he refused to look either of them in the eye as his men pressed their knives to their throats. His cowardice, turning away as he gave the order, and still not looking when the deed was done. His back to her, telling his men to take her mother’s body away. To dispose of it someplace nobody could discover it by chance.

The words he'd spoken after.

“Going to stand there all day?” the man who'd brought her to the farm and had been moving her from place to place the past several weeks, asked. Sweaty and reeking heavily of alcohol, he poked her. “Get on. Move it.”

She didn’t react, lost in her memory.

“I said move!” With a raised hand, he slapped her. Hard.  Then, lifting her by a tuft of blonde hair, he spat and dragged her to front of his carriage, behind the horses. “You'll learn one way or another.” Taking a last swig of his flask, he poured the few drops left down her throat and tossed it as she spat it out. “What it means to be nothing…” His hand caressed up her thigh, and she continued to think of her father’s words as the man clumsily tried unlacing her undergarments beneath her dress, punching her in the stomach out of frustration when he couldn’t quite do it.

Grunting, Historia's eyes went to the flask he'd tossed away. As he licked her cheek, groping her chest, her fingers brushed the top of it and, grasping it between small fingers, she knew what those words now meant.

And, as she brought the flask down as hard as she could on the side of the man’s head, shattering into a dozen glassy shards that cut into the palm of her hand, as he withered on the ground from the sudden blow, she picked up one of the larger shards and slashed his neck. He made his last sighs in gurgles of blood where she left it embedded deep in his throat.

Staring at the body, she fastened her undergarments on again and looked at her hand. Blood ran along the crevices of her palm. She wiped it off on her dress and turned to the horses, then to the farm in the distance. She looked down at the man again, back to the farm, then to the horses.

Climbing up on the end of the carriage, she crawled to the front and took the reins of both horses between slippery fingers. Unhooking the harness that bound them and watching them glance around in confusion at the unexpected freedom given to them, Historia scooted onto the nearest one's back and leaned down. She wrapped her arms around its neck.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” she told it. “You're free now, so you can do whatever you want. You can go wherever you want.” The other horse was already gone, galloping into the wild. “Your friend left you… you're all alone now…” Tears rolled down her cheeks. They tasted sweet on her tongue. She tugged at its mane. “You’re all alone with nowhere to go, but, you’re free now so it doesn't matter. So go! Leave already!”

The horse just tossed its head forward, then back, and threw her off — but, it didn’t attempt to run away. Instead, its tail swishing this way and that, the horse simply mosied over to the side of the road and began chewing wheat.

Staring up at slowly drifting clouds as she laid there on her back, trembling as she sobbed, the tears just wouldn't stop.

From here on, she had to forget herself. Who, and, what, she was; her father's first, last, and only words to her.

_ From here on, your name is Krista. _

 

She named the horse Almonds, after its color.

Since leaving the farm, they had gone a far distance, following the trail the carriage had taken, reaching the outskirts of a tiny village by midday. She didn’t recall them ever passing by it on their way, but, she hadn’t exactly been paying attention to anything outside her own thoughts since that night.

Drawing closer to it,  she could hear the villagers up and about working away. Hammers and nails on wood, the splashing of water accompanying buckets plunged into wells, flapping of clothes left out to dry — it was so unlike the stillness of the ranch she was raised on, brimming with the hard work of everyday folk that was lost on someone like her.

Sliding from Almonds’s back, she followed him as he trotted over to a tree in the shade. He plopped down, tired. She felt a smile creep upon her lips as she stroked his mane as he rested. Watching the villagers go about their daily tasks from afar, something swelled in her chest she never had the privilege of feeling before other than from her mother’s blood on her cheek: warmth.

_ Have courage _ , the voice in her head told her.

Curiosity got the better of her despite herself and she let Almonds lie — he deserved it —and set her sights on one of the houses on the far end. She went underneath a window on the side of it. She peeked inside. Seeing a table set for evening supper, her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten in the past few days and could smell the freshly baked bread from here.

Gulping, she moved away from the window. Regardless of how hungry she was, lingering any longer was bound to raise suspicion. She especially didn’t want to be around in case that man’s body had been found, as it might lead to her. Though, as she was about to slink away, a slow, groggy girl with long, auburn hair came into view. Keeping close to the window, Historia held her breath. The girl went to the window, and yawned, said nothing, then left.

Historia waited until her feet pattering across the floor were distant, and, slowly, she had to get back to Almonds before something else happened. That was when she saw the girl leave out a door from the house, carrying a bucket.

She gulped, again. That’s right, she hadn’t drank anything in the past few days, either. Her mouth was dry as a bone. She looked after the girl as she disappeared, thought of following her, then looked over, spotting a well not far away. Approaching it, she glanced around.

Nobody.

Quickly, quietly, she pulled on the lever. Watching the bucket as it dropped down with a hollow thud, she peered down at it now in a million splinters on the well’s bottom. It was… empty? Right then, realizing the noise it must have made, she reared back. One of the villagers must have heard it. She had to get out of sight before someone ca — bumping into something, that something cleared its throat and she looked up into an old woman's wrinkled face with wide eyes.  Too late.

The old woman’s straw hat cast a shadow over her. “That one's no good," she said with a slight hoarseness to her voice. "Better off coming inside and taking what I have stored there.”

Historia panicked. “I — I — S-sorry…!”

“No need to apologize, just come inside with me. I'll get you something fresher.”

Watching her go, Historia noticed that she was heading straight for the same house she had been snooping around, and, reluctantly, she followed her. As she stepped inside, glancing back to where Almonds was, she didn’t want to leave him out there, but the old woman took her by the hand, ushering her in all the way.

“Your horse is gonna be fine, I already gave him some water and an apple after you'd came sneaking over. Don't worry about him right now.” She led her to that same table she’d been eying earlier and sat her down, then went to a counter, poured a cup of water and offered it to her. “Here.”

Taking the cup with her good hand, Historia hid the other, injured one underneath the table. When she finished and set the empty cup down, the old woman gave a tilt of her chin at the concealed hand.

“Let me see it.”

Historia rested it on the table, palm side down.

“Flip it over.”

She hesitated, then slowly flipped it over.

Grabbing a cloth and a bottle of what could only be alcohol because of the smell, the old woman firmly held her hand down as she went over the cuts and wiped away dirt and dried blood. Historia winced when she rubbed the alcohol in afterward. Then she sighed as she began wrapping the cloth around it. “Young girls shouldn't behave so recklessly. Now, do you want some bread I baked some nights ago? It's still fresh.”

Before she could say anything, Historia watched the old woman get up and go get some. “Why are you being so kind to me?” she asked when the old woman brought it over and sat back down.

The old woman didn’t hesitant and ruffled her hair gently. “My own selfishness. My daughter, you have the same loss of innocence she had.”

“Your... daughter...?” Her mind flashed back to that girl with the auburn hair. Though faint, lingering on the girl had been the familiar scent of blood, and, looking down at the table — partially because of what memory that familiarity brought back to her — she now noticed it was actually set for three.

“No, not who you’re thinking of,” the old woman said with a rough, sincere chuckle. After a moment, she continued. “My daughter is much older. She joined the military before Maria fell. Hasn't been home since, the ungrateful child.” She chuckled again.

“Then…?”

“Another lost child. A survivor from Wall Maria.”

Historia searched around. “Where…?”

“It’s best not to worry about that one. She’s… been through... a lot. Though,”  — reaching over and ruffling her hair again, the old woman gave her a smile — “I know that you have, too. I can see it in that face you’re making.”

Eyes going to the floor, Historia had no words. She didn’t have anything to say. She didn’t know what to say, to… that. And as the silence between them grew, she didn’t know what it meant to feel that way for another person. Let alone, a stranger she just met. For someone as caring and kind as this old woman seemed to be, she herself was… worthless. She felt the hand on her head fall away, and looked back up.

“My daughter…”  Tears welled in the old woman’s eyes. “I don't even know if she's dead. They burn the bodies, did you know that? Could just be ash by now... and I wouldn't even know.” Though, through the tears, in her eyes there was nothing, but pride. “She's alive,” she continued. “Otherwise, I would know… I would know.”

Searching the old woman’s face, Historia put her bandaged hand on her own now lying on the table. “I believe she is... has to be…” She glanced down at the old woman's hand—it was covered in calluses, then went back to her face—those eyes so full of what she had never received from her own mother.  “Can I... stay here a bit longer before I move on...?”

The old woman nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t have let you say no for an answer, anyway.” She wiped her eyes, all hint of heartfelt emotion of the past buried back deep. “My name is Isolde. Isolde Lenz.”

Her father’s words coming back to her, Historia  buried her head into the old woman’s shoulder, squeezing her hand tighter, and returned her smile. “Krista.”

“Welcome to your new home, Krista.”

A smile that was all too fake for her own good.

 

The village of Thorpe lay on the fringes of Wall Sheena. Its main purpose was the raising of livestock and the production of grains that were both to later be hauled off to Yarckel, a District within Wall Sheena, where it was processed foremost for those citizens of the Inner Wall, then the leftovers spread among everyone else, and the remaining scraps given to the refugees from Maria’s fall.

Since the fall of Wall Maria, resources had become stretched, and with so many mouths to feed, Isolde had said it was only a matter of time before the Royal Government took drastic measures. That they would probably send a number of those refugees — even those like Achi, the name of the auburn-haired girl she’d seen that day and had countless times hence, the children and the elderly — away. Exile them, she said. Throw them to the wolves, so they wouldn’t have to worry about those already limited resources dwindling down to nothing soon.

Despite that grim reality, Isolde had assured her that everything was going to be alright. There was nothing to worry about because, in its entirety, other than having to acquire fresh water from other sources during seasons of dry spell, Thorpe was self-sufficient. Not to mention, homely. Almost everybody lived in longhouses, made primarily of wood, their floors lightly covered in hay or grass. People, livestock, and food storage were all located inside these longhouses, sectioned off from one another, and as a result the community was tight-knit. Though, not without toll.

Since becoming a part of it, Isolde had put her to work on her house — actually a farm and one of few in the entire village — months prior. Herding sheep, laying down crops of barley, hay, and wheat with other kids whose families owe Isolde a favor one way or another for this or that, or simply wanted to help — which wasn’t so rare a thing around these parts — was a common daily task for her now. Bruises regularly covered her hands, dirt on her clothing, and tiredness in her eyes. Nothing she wasn't used to be before.

Though now, when the other kids would look at her, they only saw a delicate creature taken in by a lonely mother. Their stares, their whispering, their accusations and assumptions — they wouldn't go away. Nothing had really changed. She hated that word: nothing. She could never escape it no matter which way she turned. Left, right, up, down, north, east, south, west — it didn't matter, and, gripping the end of her broom as she swept the porch of Isolde's farmhouse, she scanned the fields where she rode Almonds in her free-time.

Whether she was one of the rats that scurried along the floor, poking holes in the sacks of grain and eating their fill, or one of the hawks that circled the skies above, waiting for them out in the open to snatch them up, she had no way of knowing.  Was she something to be used, like her mother before her? Or something to be cherished, like Isolde always reminded her?

Already in her short time here, she had learned a great deal — most notably the importance of herbs and medicine — from Isolde, and, yet, a relatively peaceful existence healing the locals’ various cuts and scraps wasn't enough. Her grip around the broom tightening further still, it just wasn’t enough. She was still nothing. She was still… worthless.

Then, she remembered: Isolde's daughter. Her only daughter. Her real one. Isolde had spoken a lot of her, about her being a soldier in the military, one of the protectors of humanity. Said that, in the end, Riecka and the others were the only thing between them and the monsters. Their saviors, putting their lives on the line for a cause greater than themselves, and their martyrs, dying for that very same cause. For humanity's sake.

And those monsters she had also talked about, the things that had taken over Wall Maria and its lands within: Titans. Two of them, the Colossus and Armored, being the ones personally responsible for breaching Wall Maria, needed to be dealt with before they breached Wall Rose, too, and that the military’s soldiers would stop them. That they would eventually take back Maria and drive the Titans out.

They were people to be proud of. People worth value — fighting for what they believed and sacrificing themselves for what humanity might accomplish in beating the Titans once and for all.

Historia stared at her feet, the bristles of the broom, the gathered junk still on the porch's wooden finish, and whispered her father’s words beneath her breath, adding to it.

From here on, your name is Krista. Krista… Lenz, a soldier of humanity.

A savior.

A martyr.

A person worth value.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Annie, listen to me. I want you to treat this whole world as your enemy. _

The military. The last line of defense in humanity’s desperate struggle against the Titans. She had gotten in, and glanced down at her uniform: a light brown, khaki-colored jacket that stopped midway to her waist with two pouches on either side, it opened up down the middle, held together by a dark brown sash over white pants and knee-high leather boots, and was distinctly reminiscent of those back home. Though, the one difference was stitched into the jacket’s shoulder, as well as the left-breast pouch: the patch of 104th Training Corps's designated emblem — a shield crossed over by two swords.

There was no red armband to speak of.

Looking back up, eyes focusing on the bald, peeling scalp of the Chief Instructor as he got in the other trainees’ faces, asking for their name and place of origin, Annie recalled the day before she arrived here. The laughter of those kids playing tag, running around without a care in the world. One of them, the monster, and, the rest, the fleeing villagers not wanting to be eaten.

She tensed, feeling a cold sweat run down her back, as she remembered one of them who had played the part of that monster. Horsing around, as if what they had done never even occurred to him. Never even registered in his brain, his hearty laughter bellowing out his guilt.

She felt something in her stomach, then. Something acidic, vile, and putrid. Coming up her throat, it was trying to escape, and, swallowing it back down, she knew what they did couldn't be dismissed with laughter — only screams. Her stomach, ached.

Even if the whole world curses and resents you, I want you to know.

Yet, regardless of how sick she felt, it was far from over. She wasn’t dead yet. Therefore, she couldn’t just abandon it now. Her struggle wasn't finished, and thus, neither was her role as a warrior. She had made a promise. Something that could only end in screams.

Now panning over all the other trainees around her, lined up in single rows awaiting their turn to be hazed by the Chief Instructor, his dome like a beacon in the way it reflected the light from the sun overhead, she wondered which one of them it might be as she watched him move up and down the ranks for a time — having passed her by with not a word moments before — until he stopped at his next victim: the boy she had met back then at the recruitment center. That wide grin on his face, it was one of the stupidest things she’d ever seen.

“You with the idiotic face! Who are you and where are you from!?”

“Sir!” The boy saluted with a fist over his heart; the military’s universal salute of its soldiers, signifying its loyalty to the people and how it carried each and every one of their hopes and dreams with them to victory against the Titan threat. “Friedrich Brandt! Trost District!” What she, this boy, and all the others present were soon to represent: the next batch of lamps to the slaughter.

“Brandt, you say?!” the Chief Instructor repeated, looming over him.

“Yes, sir!”

The Chief Instructor inhaled sharply, puffing out his chest like an owl. “Well, Brandt, let's hope you're not a disappointment to the two who came before you! Why are you here?!”

“To see my older sister sir!”

“Well, when you even get a fraction of the talent your sister has, then you can act as bait for her! Row Eight! About face!”

The Chief Instructor grasped the top of the boy's head and forcibly spun him around. The others in his row followed suit. This was the sign that he didn't like what he heard, and, with the majority of the trainee rows also turned in the opposite direction from their original positions, the man didn't seem to like much. He might have seemed imposing from first glance, but, from his scraggly beard with little strokes of grey here and there, to the wrinkles and stress marks mapping his face, and the dark, deep circles beneath his hollow, haunted eyes, betrayed him for what he really was: a thin-skinned coward too old and tired to still be a soldier and—especially—a warrior.

He went on to the next trainee, and then the next.

A few of them he passed like herself, and, from the corner of her eye, she looked back at the boy, Brandt, and saw that his eyes were bright and hopeful — the exact opposite of the ones the Chief Instructor was leaving alone. The horror that was hidden behind them. That look which told him they had already seen what needed to be seen. How the world truly was.

If only he knew.

_ Remember that I will always be on your side. _

Yet, beneath this boy’s… she saw something that the Chief Instructor didn’t. Something that she herself knew all too well: a promise.

_ So, promise me, Annie. _

No. They weren’t the same. She couldn’t think about this boy any longer, he was unimportant. He had just been there to help her fill out her form and get admitted in the training corps. Whatever goal he had of his own, whether it be a promise to fulfill or not, didn’t matter.

_ Promise me that you’ll come back. _

She went back to the Chief Instructor just as he picked up a short boy with a shaved head by the sides of his face, then abruptly dropped him to gawk at a girl a few rows down, casually stuffing her face with a potato in full view as if the action would somehow go unnoticed. Flabbergasted, he came before her and asked her where she'd acquired it, the reply being that she had “procured” it from the mess-hall earlier. He then asked her why she took it in the first place, and why a potato.

The girl, Sasha Blouse, explained that she had been hungry and, perhaps in an attempt to get away unpunished, offered him what she considered to be half of it. To Annie, and everyone else watching, it was obvious her offering wasn't even close to half. On top of that, she had given him the smaller of the two pieces.

And, with that, the opening ceremony was cut short so he could show them an example of what disobeying the rules — theft of provisions, in this instance — got them.

 

Now watching the girl — who was being dubbed “the Potato Girl” because of that incident earlier in the morning — Annie grimaced at the way she ran: like a fish straight out of the water, flopping her arms about carelessly, gasping for breathe. The least she could do was use some semblance of form and save herself the further embarrassment.

“How long do you think he’s going to make her run?”

She glanced over. That boy was standing next to the stairs of her dorm. That stupid grin was still on his face. It appeared to be plastered on. She didn’t answer, continuing to watch the girl run instead.

He came beside her, shaking his head at the spectacle. “Harsh, don't you think so?” When she didn't respond, again, he put a hand under his chin, leaned over the railing, and pouted, a concerned look in his eyes. “I guess that's the way the world truly works, huh?”

She ignored him.

“Say, I think I deserve a thank-you for helping you fill out those papers,” he said after a moment.

She looked at him, then. Was he trying to blackmail her? “What are you insinuating?”

“Ah. Did I say something wrong?”

She scowled. No, of course not. An idiot like this. “You didn't do anything.” Though, she could never be too cautious. “Yet.”

He raised a finger to protest. “Actually, I—”

Her scowl deepened. “Told me to fill out ‘big nose’ for my name and ‘the center of my face, you can't miss it’ for my residence.”

“Hey! You don’t have to get so upset about it,” he said, laughing nervously. “Your nose isn't even that big! It's the perfect size, I really like the shape!” He looked to the side and scratched his cheek. “Honest… I was only joking…”

“The way you grin is stupid.”

He blinked, looking back. “Is that… supposed to be a thank-you? Hey! Are you listening to me?

She grunted. One of her hands formed into a fist.

He noticed. “Ah, I get it... I won't bother you anymore, then, alright?" the boy said, shuffling his feet as he began to backtrack down the stairs.

“Wait…” She relaxed her fist. Even if this boy was nothing to her, even if she took her father’s words to heart, right now wasn’t the time to be making enemies. “T-thank you…”

She felt her face grow hot when he smiled afterward. “Fritz. Call me Fritz.”

“Fritz.” Averting her eyes, she cursed. Why had she done that? Marcel’s face passed through her mind then, but, this boy...

"So, erm…” — he sniffed and wiped his nose with a finger — “Does this mean we're on even terms now?”

Annie stared at him for a few moments, then at the railing. He looked nothing like Marcel, so then why did she…? “I guess…” She noticed him grin again and scoffed. “Only if you knock that off first… and don’t stand so close to me.”

He scooted away. “S-sorry…”

“As long as we're clear.”

“Count on it.”

Yes, he was nothing like Marcel, but, regardless, he was going to be a nuisance all the same. She’d known it the moment he’d asked for her bread back then. Now, he was searching the clouds for something, and the way his eyes moved back and forth… No, she had to ignore him. Her promise, she had to — he said something about wanting to find her again. His sister. His promise.

Yes, she had to make as little contact as she was still able with this boy…

 

“These are the potatoes that girl stole?!”

It was now late into the evening and dinner was being served in the mess-hall. Yet, even with how hungry she was, Annie couldn’t bring herself to eat her food and was forced to set her cup of water down. Waves rippling across its surface from how ravishingly the boy across from her was eating, she glared at him already sinking his teeth into his second helping.

The sound of him vigorously chewing, swallowing, and swishing it down was the last thing she wanted to hear while trying to eat. Not to mention, these potatoes… they were undercooked and bland, their color a sort of mucky yellow without the skin, and, here he was, going through them like he hadn't eaten in a matter of days.

All she could do was block him out the best she was capable of, trying to take her mind away as she glanced over at the serving line. The menu also included soup and bread, but one look at either and she'd honestly rather have the potato. So, taking up her cup again, she finished the rest and was about to leave when the boy wiped his face free of potato and slapped his hand on the table in a fiery passion.

“You're not going to eat?” he said, halfway out his seat and leaning over the table. “You have to eat if you want to keep your strength up, even if the food is bad!”

Was he trying to motivate her?

Her scowl became a pit. The only reason she had accepted his company was to lead him astray and keep him from poking his nose in her business anymore than he already was, but it was having the opposite effect. He only poked her harder. “We're officially starting training tomorrow. I don't want to throw up during it.”

“Then…” His hand was already hovering over her tray.

Well, so much for that. "Take it." She pushed it toward him with enough force to slide off and splatter, but he just caught the end of it and started chowing down right then and there. He didn’t even seem to chew this time. Disgusted by his lack of tact, Annie took the opportunity to look around the room, trying to spot those two.

The majority of the trainees were huddled around one table in particular where she heard them talking about the Titans. At their center sat a boy with a cocky expression of his face, proclaiming how he'd send all the Titans to hell starting with the Colossus Titan — the one responsible for breaking down the outer gate of Wall Maria.

She scanned the other faces in that crowd for the two she was familiar with, but, they were nowhere to be seen. At this point, she would have gotten up right then to find them, but, with this idiot on the other side of her, she wasn’t about to run the risk of him discovering something — even accidentally — if he continued to follow her around.  She should have just knocked him out when she had the chance.

So, eyes traveling to the other tables where more, smaller groups were seated, she continued searching in vain until coming upon a table where three girls were seated. The first was tall and dark skinned, practically dwarfing the two sitting across from her. One of them had red hair, stone-faced as she blankly stared at her wooden spoon submerged in a bowl of soup. The other one with the blonde hair and soft, pleasant features, appeared to speaking to her while holding a half loaf of bread, though she didn’t seem to be getting through.

They were in stark contrast with one another.

Annie didn't know them, and Reiner and Bertolt were obviously not there with them, but, she distinctly remembered seeing the tall one with the dark skin at the opening — her eyes widened for a split-second. Had she imagined it? No, there it was again. That same girl… was glancing in her direction. As if she knew she was being watched. They narrowed again.

Just then, her attention snapped back to the table with the crowd from how loud it’d gotten as, now, another boy — equally as cocky and annoying — mocked the latter’s vow to kill every last Titan and what was ultimately his decision for wanting to join the Scouting Legion, saying that he was more likely to become fodder for the Titans than their executioner. The other boy said something in retort, then both of them sprang to their feet and looked about ready to come to blows when the bell chimed.

Dinner was over.

All trainees were to immediately head back to their dorms, sleep, and then be up first thing the next morning for prep.

Without waiting for her new friend, Annie slunk away from the table and exited the messhall, not stopping when she heard him run up to the doors and shout ‘good luck tomorrow!’ after her, no doubt grinning like the idiot he was.

She sighed.

 

Thinking of that dark skinned girl on her way to her dorm, Annie would have to watch her carefully from now. Be even more cautious. And, though she was loathe to admit it, the same went for that idiot. She knew that if she let her emotions get the best of her, it would jeopardize their mission. That would also mean breaking her promise.  

_ Find the Coordinate. Don't let anyone survive if they have it. It's extremely important that you destroy it. No, you don't need to know the details as to why, just that it's something dangerous and mustn't be allowed to exist. Can you do this for me, Annie? _

Getting into her bunk, Annie stared at the bed above her own. Her bunkmate was still out and about. She read their name to refresh it in her mind: Mina Carolina. She remembered meeting her clearly shortly before that idiot had come to her. The first thing she’d asked after introducing herself was if they could be friends.

Sitting up, Annie pulled her knees to her chest and gazed forlornly at the silver-banded ring on her left index finger. This girl, Mina, was the type she disliked the most, and it had only taken that one encounter for her to solidify her disdain. She was worse than Fritz in that she was truly happy behind her eyes, and, remembering those hours after the Wall fell, the reason why she could never be like that was forever burned into her memory.

_ They were swarming the village; gigantic, terrifying, and bloodthirsty. Reduced to ruins, smoke rising from the embers as she looked on, watching villagers getting snatched up and eaten, she felt her stomach tie itself into knots as the sky rained blood. _

_ She saw one of them, a young girl around her own age, as she bolted from one of the houses toward the far end of the village. Hair blowing through the cold morning breeze, zipping past other houses and ducking under their debris, she sprinted with all her might, but, just as she reached it, she came face to face with one, and… then... _

Killers like her didn’t have the right to be happy.

 

The next day, suspended in mid-air, Annie swayed in her harness and balanced herself just as the Chief Instructor had explained, dangling above the ground as still as possible.

The less quivering, the better.

Looking up at the device that held her in place, a simple three prong stand, she watched the ropes that were tethered to the top tighten further then relax as she was lifted down after a moment, whereupon she unhooked the other end of the ropes secured to her belt, swatting them away as they now hung lazily, loose and ready for the next occupant.

In front of her were the rest of the trainees — all five hundred or so of them — clumped together in a mass, each of them waiting for their turn, the ones who've already completed the exercise having to wait on the sidelines. Glaring at them, she noticed a couple glared back, most notably that tall girl with the dark skin. Anyone that didn't glare back was either too busy worrying about the exercise, too afraid to meet her eyes, or… smiled back.

The boy, Fritz, and the girl, Mina, were the main culprits.

Ignoring them, she moved to the sidelines and stood next to a girl with a red scarf around her neck. The girl said something under her breath and Annie thought it was "Eren", but, that was all before a masculine voice called out to her. She knew who it was without turning around as she felt him bend down to get nearer to her ear.

“You're still going to help us, right?” Reiner said. His shadow loomed over her, and she had half the mind to knock him to the ground just because of his presence, but now wasn’t the time or place.

He had changed entirely from before and it irritated her to no end — almost as much as those two idiots. Possibly even more. “Tonight.”

“Remember, anything about it is of top priority.”

“I know.” No, it wasn't Reiner himself, but, his attitude towards the situation. What they'd done back then. How it didn't haunt him in the slightest. Almost as if it he didn’t remember any of it. And the way he talked… wasn’t at all like the frightened boy from that day.

“If you don't find anything, it's alright.” This time it was Bertolt, standing behind him. “I doubt there's going to be anything valuable anyway…”

She moved away from Reiner's shadow and took a step towards Fritz. Then, abruptly, she stopped. “Reiner, Bertolt, I'll find something, don't bother me about it. Just go back to the exercise. You both look suspicious.” Glaring at them until they left, she went back to Fritz, her glare now concentrated on him.

He was staring at her. Again.


	4. Chapter 4

Fritz stared absentmindedly at the wooden logs stacked one atop the other which a row of served as one of four walls to his dorm and drew his blanket closer to himself in an attempt to keep warm. He hadn't expected the nights to be colder than back home, and chuckled at himself. This was nothing, he told himself, he could handle a few chills. Wiping his nose and holding back a sneeze, he bundled himself in his blanket even tighter.

Yeah, he could deal with this. No problem.

"What's the matter Friedrich? Bit of cold too much for you?" he criticized aloud. "Well, think again!" Springing from his bed, his little try at self motivation backfired when he bounced  off and landed on his back with a crash. Wincing, he rubbed it.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone groaned, and he looked upside down at the boy lying in the bunk across from his own. "I'm trying to sleep you dumbass," Jean said, glowering at him. "This," — he proceeded to prop himself up on one arm — "isn't the time to be moving around. Do you even realize what time it is?" He pointed to one of the windows and waited for him to look at it. "See that? It's  _ dark _    outside. You know what that means? It means: 'shut up and go to sleep'. If Shadis finds out you're up, then you'll get all of us in trouble."

"Leave him be Jean," Marco, who was in the bunk above Jean, said. "He's not doing any harm. It's not like he's going to personally tell the Chief Instructor that he’s awake. Right, Fritz?"

Fritz nodded and went on rubbing his back. "Y-yeah, that's right. I'm not so stupid that I'd get caught." He had to admit that often being called "the droopiest flower in the garden" by his family sometimes proved true, but, he also knew for a fact that he wasn't so stupid as to do something like that. That was something Connie would do. "I'm just going out for some fresh air."

"See Jean? Told you!"

"Whatever." Jean rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. "Just don't wake me up again."

"Count on it."

"And quit saying that, it's annoying."

Fritz didn't pay him any more mind and sucked in air through his teeth as he slowly made his way to their dorm's door. Opening it gently and easing himself outside, he went to the wooden railing that ran halfway horizontal around the dorm and stopped at the stairs. His thoughts traveling back to the day he decided to leave his mother and little sister behind, he had to find his older sister no matter what.

After Ines's early joining of the military before Wall Maria's fall and the unexpected death of his father, his mother had tried her hardest to keep them composed, the family having grown smaller in the blink of an eye. Then, the second oldest son, his older brother Lex, had went off to follow in their footsteps, only to die during a training accident before he even really began. That had been the last straw. She'd forbidden him to join the military like his father and two older siblings, but, against her wishes — as a Brandt was ought to do — he'd run away to join of his own accord, wanting to find Ines since she hadn't written them in recent years like she usually did, even in this time of strafe.

And the Titans, terrifying giants that had taken down Wall Maria and extinguished countless lives already. Tasked with reclaiming lost territory from them and gathering information about their movements, their tactics, and their origins as a member of the Scouting Legion — his older sister was at a greater risk than most because of these... things. He didn't want to lose her, too. He had even memorized the last letter she had sent them to heart.

It was shortly before the Titans had breached Wall Maria. She had talked about her hopes of her Squad Leader as the next Commander of the Scouting Legion. Of their first ever expedition where no heavy casualties were suffered, thanks to the new formation he had improvised to limit them and the newest additions to their ranks, most notably highlighting on one in particular: a man named Levi, who she said possessed an enormous amount of skill that surpassed many within the Legion already despite lacking any formal training.

How she felt he was untrustworthy, given his background, and her own fears of him being allowed to freely roam their facilities because, if he was, then who was to say that others of his ilk wouldn’t be given the same privileges? Though, regardless, her Squad Leader had made the final decision and she trusted his judgement, and whatever he decided could only mean the future of humanity became just a bit brighter with him as Commander.

It was that critical, caring side of her that had been missing up until then. Proof that his older sister was still the same Ines he had known all his life. He knew that she was still alive out there, somewhere. Thus, he wanted to find her. He had to find her. After all… he didn’t want to see his mother cry anymore.

Wanting to keep his mind away from the memory and moving forward to more recent events, the time between running away to sign up and finally seeing it become a reality was also when he'd first met her: Annie.  Annie Leonhart.

He had seen her several days after Maria’s fall, just standing there at the tail end of a massive crowd in Trost’s town square, where the distribution of rations had started. In single file, they lined up in front of booths where members of the Garrison were handing out one loaf of bread per person. Near her, two petty people had been fighting over the last loaf their booth had, each claiming they needed it more than the other. Watching those two grown men — two refugees from Shiganshina — fighting in the middle of street over a measly piece of bread, like she had been observing insects, she looked disgusted at the sight of them bloodying themselves over something so trivial, at first glance. Sickened, by their behavior.

Though, he had seen different. The way she clutched at her chest, gasping for breath. The pain in her eyes that she couldn’t hide, no matter how hard she tried, holding a half-eaten loaf herself. Disgusted, about something only she knew the truth of. Sickened, by whatever it was. That was around the time when he asked if he could finish the rest of her bread because if she didn’t someone else surely would. Forcibly, if it came down to it. Telling her that food was scarce as is, and, to the refugees, even scarcer still.

And now, here he was, arms folded over the railing outside his dorm, looking out into the gloom, wanting to see her again already. Though, ever since that first day, she had been avoiding him. It made sense, given the way he was acting like an idiot. Well, an even bigger one. He did like her nose, and the way she carried herself… drew his curiosity, but, ah, what was he trying to say?!

He blushed.

That was when he chanced upon a peculiar sight: a female trainee was walking at a mule's pace, seemingly weary of her surroundings by the way she was hunched down and looking very suspicious. He tried to make her features out more clearly, then yelped in surprise and sudden anguish, when something clapped him hard on the back.

"What you starin' at?" Connie asked.

Fritz greeted him with a pained smile. “N… Nothing in particular.”

Connie followed his stare. “You OK?” He put a hand on his shoulder.

It was only their first week, but, the two of them — in addition to being bunkmates —  had became friends fairly quick and at that moment Fritz couldn't help but wonder if it was because both their thinking processes were slower than average.

Wincing as he turned back around, the trainee was gone.  “Y-yeah… I’m fine…” he said, disappointed.

“Whatever you say, man.” Connie bumped his arm with a fist.  “Anyway, see you tomorrow, I’m going back inside!”

"Yeah… you too…"

He laughed when Connie waved in an attempt to look cool with his back turned, waiting until the door shut to look back again to where he had seen that trainee. That girl… It was strange, he thought, for someone to be wandering around late at night. But, then again, who was he to judge?

 

The morning after was scorching.

The trainee behind him practically breathing down his neck, Fritz tried his best to stay still, as they and everyone else stood at attention in their assigned lines on the training field the same as the day of the opening ceremony, waiting for Chief Instructor Shadis to pair them up into groups of two to start of their first exercise toward eventually becoming true soldiers after passing that initial step on the second day: martial arts. If they were to be going to fight the Titans, then a certain level of strength and conditioning was going to be required in the next two years.

Unlike those balancing acts from before — which were to test their aptitudes and weed out dispassionate hopefuls early — this first exercise was to see where each trainee stood at the beginning for the top ten places. Those with higher initial marks were more likely to earn a spot among it. With one of those spots, came the chance to join the Military Police; the branch of the military responsible for protecting and keeping the peace of the Inner Walls.

The same top ten Ines had placed into years prior.

And between this and the Chief Instructor Shadis's ear shattering voice, Fritz beamed.

While his goal wasn’t to get into the top ten as the Scouting Legion accepted even those trainees with the lowest scores, for Ines to have gotten in and still chosen the Scouting Legion was something to take pride in as her younger brother. Something to strive for, being just as selfless, and he followed the Chief Instructor as he went up and down the lines pointing and shouting. He watched him lean over and scream at one unfortunate trainee — a girl with dark, braided hair that rested over her shoulders — who turned white as a sheet and looked just about ready to pee herself before he moved on. He saw her breathe a sigh of relief.

"You! Quit smiling like that and face front!" Shadis yelled at the top of his lungs, spit flying from his mouth. The Chief Instructor had skipped everyone else between this girl and came straight for him with a murderous intent.

"Yes sir!" Fritz yelled back, hand to heart in proper salute.

"Very good! Just like that! That is how you should stand, Friedrich Brandt! Your partner for today's training will be Mina Carolina! Maybe you can knock some sense it into her!"

“Yes, sir!”

He waited until Shadis moved on, then took a quick peek around to try and spot anyone who looked like his partner before the exercise began. Though, he had no idea what someone named Mina was supposed to look like. How could he?

Thus, eventually, after everyone had been assigned their partners and their first short water break was done, Fritz was still looking around for his among the dispersing crowd when he spotted a girl with dark hair standing off by herself. If he had to guess, she was his partner, and then he wondered why he hadn’t noticed the red scarf before, as he tapped her shoulder. When she turned, the first thing he noted was the slight slant of her eyes, then her calm, collected expression. He quickly pulled back, brushing the scarf.

"Ah! Excuse me!” He scratched his cheek in embarrassment at getting too close.  “Hey there! I’m Friedrich, b-but you can call me Fritz! I'll be your partner for training today!"

The first thing she did was fix her scarf back to its original position around her neck. Then, she pointed over her shoulder. "My partner is behind me," she stated bluntly, voice slightly muffled. "I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

Fritz leaned to get a better look. Standing a ways back was a fairly tall boy with a friendly face, who waved. "Ah. So you're not," — he crooked a finger, now feeling incredibly embarrassed for not realizing it sooner — "Mina?"

"No.” She adjusted her scarf further away from her mouth. "Mikasa."

"If you're not… Then where—" Someone tapped on his own shoulder and he spun around, face to face with a homely gray-eyed girl sporting braided black hair. The one who had almost peed her pants from earlier. She cleared her throat and held up a hand in greeting.

" _ I'm _   Mina. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fritz." She smiled warmly and it was so welcoming that he turned the same shade as the other girl's scarf.

"I… Y-yeah! It's nice to meet you, too!" He wildly shook her hand, "I'm—!"

"I know," Mina said before he could introduce himself properly, poking his chest. "You're my partner." Then she casually waved over his shoulder. "And hey Mikasa! Bertolt!" she exclaimed. Mikasa acknowledged her presence with a nod and Bertolt another wave. "I'll take him off your hands! Come on, you!"

Pulling him by the wrist, she led him in the other direction.

"I just want to say that I'm excited to get started!" she said once they were situated, pumping her fists. "How about you?!"

He couldn't do anything more than nod, brain still processing everything that'd just transpired all at once. “Ah… I…” He raised his hands dumbly. "Ready... when you are…"

"Here I come!”

As she did, out the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of blonde hair and, thoughts immediately going back to Annie, his guard dropped just as one of his anxious partner's fists connected with his jaw. The next he knew, Fritz was staring up at a clear blue sky, Mina standing over his sprawled out body.

"You OK? I didn't know I could hit that hard," she remarked, as he thought he saw Titans in the clouds. Quickly regaining his wits, he sat up. "What's the matter?"

"Someone I know," he said, hastily searching for them.

Mina slyly put a finger to her chin. "May I ask who?"

He flailed a hand down the right side of his face. "She has one long bang, a big, kinda pointy nose, and blonde hair. Uhm, and, anyway, I g—”

"Oh! You mean Annie?!" She lifted the finger. "I know who you're looking for!"

"Really? Annie?” He perked up. “Annie Leonhart?”

“Mhm!”

“Do you know w—"

She was already pointing somewhere off to the left. "Over there. You see that broken fence? And that small tree next to it? The logs underneath? I bet she's there."

“How do you figure that?”

Mina crossed her arms, smug. "I would know. I’m her bunkmate, after all! She wasn’t in bed yesterday. Again. I got worried, you know? So, last night… I followed her. That was where I found her. For awhile.” Looking over to where she believed Annie to be, a faint frown on her lips, she sighed. “I wish she'd open up more, instead of choosing to be a loner…" When she finally looked back at him, her cheerful demeanor was back and she gave a wink. "Think that you can talk to her? You might have better luck than me."

"But, the exercise… We can't just abandon the drills."

She shrugged. "We'll just say we're switching locations. They won't care as long as we aren't slacking off, like Annie. So, let's go!"

She grabbed his wrist again and pulled him along.

 

The ground of the training field was barren, but, outside it, grass and flowers could scarcely be seen, and as he looked at the broken fence — worn by time and the elements, rotting in most places — then the small tree, which looked about ready to fall over and die, Fritz wondered how anything could survive in this heat. Though, the logs underneath were in fairly decent condition. As they moved closer to them, he saw feet sticking out from the other side.

"There she is," Mina whispered. “Doesn’t she look lonely? Well, good luck!” Without warning, she pushed him forward and retreated to the broken fence. "I'll stay here and watch out for Chief Instructor Shadis!" she said, waving him on.

Grimacing as he gave her a shaky thumbs up because his back was still sore, Fritz mosied up to the logs. Clearing his throat, it was indeed Annie sitting there, her blonde hair tied back in a bun that dipped out in three directions, and he was just about to break the silence when Annie did it herself.

"What do you want?" Her tone was cold and detached. She turned her head, eyes piercing into him.

They made him uncomfortable, like she were studying a new species that she was detested to even know the existence of.  "I came to ask if you wanted to join in the exercises with Mina and me?” He indicated back at Mina, who smiled encouragingly. “I just thought, since we're all friends, that—"

"So, if I beat you, will you shut up and leave me alone?"

She had brushed herself off, and already gone past him, now in the sunlight, stretching, when he finished processing what she’d just said. “Huh?”

She crossed her arms, irritated. “Are you going to stand there all day?”

Mina called over from the broken fence. "Hey! What's going on?! Did something happen, Fritz?!"

He gave her a confused shrug. He didn’t know himself.

Annie scoffed. "Are we going to start or  _ what _ ?" she said, assuming a lower posture.

“A-ah! Yeah, just let me…!” He joined her out on the field. That was when he noticed. "Wow, you're so short."

"You're not much taller," she retorted.

"Twenty centimeters," he countered, comparing their heights, and yelped when she swept his legs from under him without warning.

Landing on his back, pain shot down his spine as he sat up and shook dust from his uniform, his mind trying to catch up with his body, but, before it could, Annie had already circled around him and had his arms pinned behind his back.

"You lose."

She released him with a shove.

"Looks like it hurt," Mina said, beside him now. "Hey, Annie, you didn't have to..." she started to say, though Annie cut it short by walking away. She snapped her fingers. "Darn it. What you'd do that made her so mad?"

"Nothing,” he said, rubbing his back as he still tried to piece together what just transpired. He winced, grumbling about the pain. It was going to be like this all day, wasn’t it? And, without taking his eyes off Annie as she stalked off to who could guess where, the image of that trainee slinking around in the dark last night resurfaced to occupy his thoughts.

Nothing — that he knew of, anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

"Move, now!"

Taking her chipped blade and pushing Hange out of the way — the Abnormal Titan right on her heels, moving fast, gaining speed — the moment she had a clear view, Ines threw it. The blade pierced the Titan’s eye. Half-blind, it slammed into a tree, further running the blade through its socket. Blood spurted from the wound and bathed the bark, painting it crimson black. Snapping in a new blade, the last one she had, Ines glared down at it, holding up a hand and giving the order that nobody dare approach it.

"It's not dead yet," she pointed out, seeing the Titan's other eye staring up at her, hungering. "Where’re the horses?" she asked aloud, looking around.

“All accounted for," Larrens said.

She nodded. "Then we need to get to higher ground. We can't stay here on these low branches, exposed as we are."

"Right.”

Aiming her wire upward, Ines went for the tallest one, reaching it a few seconds later, and peered down at the Titan again as it clumsily began getting back to its feet. On an adjacent branch, the leader of the Special Operations Squad, the newly appointed Captain Levi, stared blankly into the thicket below as his second in command, Eld, was checking the map for alternative routes.

“Anything?” Levi asked.

Eld shook his head. “No… Not unless we backtrack around,” he said without averting his attention from the map, hunched over it like a scholar studying a long lost text from beyond the Wall.

“Tch. No time.” Levi called out to someone up ahead of them. “Gunther, any sign of him?”

"Nothing yet! I'll tell you when I've spotted anything! " came the reply.

Scanning the trees, Ines bit her bottom lip, cursing Hange beneath her breath for behaving so recklessly again. The woman said something enthusiastic about the Titan that was trying to grope at her below. Just when the expedition had been going without any mishaps, her fellow Squad Leader had run off into a forest after a Titan that’d been seemingly too scared to confront them, only for it to be an ambush.

The Titan was an Abnormal, and, somehow, lured them in. Well, to be more precise, Hange, and as it was the Commander’s order that she be protected in her personal research as to the Titan’s origins, Ines and the rest of the Scouting Legion within close proximity had went in after her. Whether the Titan had really been intelligent enough to actually ambush them, or it was simply Hange’s obliviousness that had gotten them into this mess — or both — one of the Scouts took an opportunity to cut its nape, much to the dismay of Hange, and as she blew up at him for killing it, Ines continued to search for Moblit.

Right behind Hange, they’d lost sight of him, and it was looking as if she would have to pronounce him dead when a green signal flare silenced her next words. They looked in its direction, spotting a lone figure approaching fast, swinging from tree to tree in a frantic zig-zag, two Titans chasing him.

Without hesitation, Ines rushed to Moblit’s aide. Coordinating with Gunther who was above, aiming for the Titan to Moblit’s left, she went for the one on the right. Diving under Moblit, she maneuvered around her chosen target’s shoulder and was about to come up to strike its when something grabbed her leg — another Titan, smaller and hidden behind the two larger ones chasing Moblit. Slicing its fingers, she got free, only to catch her arm on a low hanging branch. Grunting, there was a crack and an explosion of pain tore through her right arm as she whirled around, carved through its nape with her blade, then retreated.

“Squad Leader!”

Larrens crouched beside her, taking her arm gently in his hands. “It’s broken,” he said.

Ines glanced down at her bloody arm, the sleeve of her uniform soaked in red, the fabric slashed and torn. “Where’s Moblit?”

“Safe. Captain Levi took care of it. Don’t worry about that now! We need to you medical attention. Come on!”

They joined up with Hange and the rest. Glaring at the woman, who wasn’t looking at her, eyes on the fastly steaming corpses of the Titans that had nearly killed both she and her assistant, she filled with rage. If her good arm wasn’t broken, then she would have knocked her out right then and there.

 

Resting her broken arm on the desk, making sure not to move it unnecessarily, Ines Brandt stared into the deep blue eyes of the man opposite. Eyes that searched, probed her for answers since before she'd even sat down minutes before, briefly going over her broken arm in its makeshift splint. There was no proper equipment for a real one, since they were short of supplies from this latest expedition — again — and they sat in silence for some time before he opened his mouth to finally speak.

"Squad Leader Ines, thank you for willingly coming here to speak with me," he began in a level voice, keeping his emotions detached, his voice low.

"Sir," she replied, her eyes moving from her broken arm, then back. "It must have been urgent, to call me when I was still recovering from my injuries."

Erwin — Commander Erwin, now — rested his hands on the table. "That's right. The reason I've summoned you is of top priority," he confirmed, blinking for the first time. "Regarding this latest expedition…” He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his uniform jacket and laid it on table. Judging by the seal it was stamped with,  it was from the Royal Government. "They’re suspending our activities because of the losses incurred.”

Her jaw tightened. Were they finally going to…?  Like all the others expeditions, it’d been costly, including the temporary loss of her right arm, but, with since the success of the Long Distance Scouting Formation, casualties had been lower than ever. Furthermore, they’d even managed to claim a bit of territory back from the Titans. Slowly, but, steadily, they were making more and more progress than what previously had been achieved. There was no reason to suspend the Scouting Legion’s activities… Unless…

The Commander caught her look of realization, and leaned forward slightly. “Yes, the operation to retake Wall Maria a year ago. It seems that the drastic decrease in refugees still wasn’t enough to alleviate the cost of maintaining their coffers, thus those high within the Royal Government have decided the next best option was to prevent us from continuing our duties.”

And to keep the Scouting Legion on a leash, lest it try to bite back.

Leaning back again, Erwin lapsed into silence, deep in thought. Eventually, he put his hands back on the table, staring down at the report. Taking it in his hands, he tore it down the middle and crumbled the two halves, then presented the wadded up remains to her. "Though, that does not mean they can stop us from doing other things within our jurisdiction."

She waited a moment before responding. “Sir, what would you have me do?”

"Would you be willing to the leader of a new Special Squad?" he asked plainly.

"I'd be honored, Commander."

A small and barely noticeable smirk crept onto his lips as he heard the answer he'd knew was coming without a second thought. "Then,  _ Captain _  , you and your squad’s former duties working with Section Commander Hange will be given to the Special Operations Squad under Captain Levi. From here on, you and those you choose will henceforth be called the ‘Special Investigations Squad’.” He rose to his feet.  “This meeting is dismissed, you can go back to your quarters now. Tomorrow, I’ll be sending the Special Investigations Squad’s first duty  your way. Be ready.”

She followed suit, giving a salute. "Yes, sir!" Moving to leave, she had the door halfway opened when Erwin called out to her again.

"And Captain? I’ll be looking forward to your report.”

 

Making her way to the Legion Headquarter's dining hall, hand gliding along the concrete wall as she felt every groove and nick in the stone, eventually Ines came to its doors, bits of splintered wood poking out around the handles, giant metal bars of iron, and she was careful not to get any as she let herself inside. Glancing around, she would have to find members for her new squad, and inform them of the news so they could be ready — at first light if need be.

The dining hall was smaller than one might expect, with only two rows of five tables each, no windows, and torches for light. Just for extra comfort, there were candles placed on the center of each table, since some Scouts didn’t like eating in the dark. As Ines walked past the first table, she glanced at one of the candles and knew that despite what everyone said of the Commander, his soft side was still ever much alive and well — even if it was reduced to simply putting his soldiers’ minds at ease while they ate.

At the foot of the very last table in the first row, were three people. Two of them were sitting down, heads down, while the third was pacing around them, animated as she flailed her arms about and ran her mouth  about the joints that allowed a Titan to move the way it did.

".... And secondly, depending on the class, their limbs with be elongated! It's not a matter of how similar their autonomy is to ours, it's all about how our autonomy is similar to theirs!"

"Um, Squad Leader," Moblit said, putting a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I think you’re boring them.”

Ines cringed at the woman who had given her much headache the past several years. Googles bouncing around her neck, the woman blinked rapidly then danced around in some odd gesture, woke the two of them up, then shooed them off.

She sighed loudly as she slammed a hand on the table. "Idiots! Nobody appreciates the work I've been doing for the good of humanity! Have they learned nothing besides how to fall asleep when somebody is lecturing them?!" she huffed.

Ines passed her by with not a word, but, the moment she sat down next to Larrens, her own assistant, Hange sat down with her..

“So, what did Erwin want?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Nothing important.” It wasn’t because she didn’t want to tell Hange about the meeting, which the Commander was sure to announce in the coming days, but, that, if she did, then the overly zealous woman wouldn’t stop protesting against the Royal Government’s decision until all of them were in chains. That was one of the last things they needed right now.

Hange pursed her lips. Of course, she was suspicious of her answer. Who wouldn’t be? “Hmm. Nothing, huh?” Then, she perked up, patting her on the shoulder. “Well, good luck with that. Now, would you like to hear about my most recent foray into my research? Oh! Of course you do, right?!”

Standing close behind, Moblit sighed. “Squad Leader…”

Right then, the dining hall doors burst open, an ugly looking young man with an equally as ugly haircut strode through them, complaining about the Scouting Legion rations tasting like wet stone. Behind him, telling him to watch his words, was a young woman with  reddish-orange hair. She knew them as the latest chosen members of that man’s squad, after Eld and Gunther, though she couldn’t place their names.

Fresh out of training, they were rookies.

To think that man had the gall to pick them for his squad over much more capable and able-bodied members of the Scouting Legion, was he trying to get them killed? Ines cast a glance at Hange, who had gotten up to greet them. They hadn’t even placed in the top ten of their graduating class, and, as much as the woman annoyed her, in addition to themselves, now her friend’s life was at greater risk because of it.

After them, came that man himself: Levi. She recalled the day she had first laid eyes on him, walking amidst the aftermath of that battlefield where she had rested them on the dismembered remains of his two companions. Still alive despite the odds, there had been that short, squint-eyed leader of theirs who had his blade at Erwin's throat. Within him, a rage which clouded his vision and hid the sorrow in his heart, as he’d looked to be questioning her former Squad Leader about those blank documents lying at his feet, soaked in rainwater — the documents that Lovoff had tried to obtain through them.

His effort to erase the evidence of embezzlement of the Scouting Legion's expeditionary funds. A part of the now Commander's bluff at the time, she having given the real ones to Supreme Commander Zackly days prior herself. Lovoff and those bastards like him were another reason why their expeditions were no doubt being suspended. To those within the Interior, the nobles, their tax money was being spent on something seen as a fruitless endeavor. A hopeless dream.

Well, Erwin's hope had been to secure two positive outcomes for the Scouting Legion via one gamble — and it looked like all of that was to come to pass:  the man, Levi, had lowered the blade, choosing to submit than defy. And, with him included into their ranks, it meant the difference between being devoured and going home.

Or so the Commander kept believing in.

She remembered looking down at his two companions for a second time, thinking that one person was just what Erwin had calculated as the right amount needed. Though, would it not have been better to have all three rather than just the one? They had been well-versed in handling the Vertical Maneuvering Gear, teamwork hadn't been a problem, and, maybe, in time, they could've proven themselves more than just sewer rats.

Now it was too late — they'd suffered the fate of being washed away.

Her gaze fixed to Levi as he sat down with those two rookies and Hange at a separate table, the pain of their deaths was still visible upon his face, tugging at his heart though he hid it well. It no longer clouded his vision. Having heard the Squad Leader's words of saving humanity from its fate at the hands of the Titans back then, he'd decided to throw in his lot with the rest of them in the Scouting Legion.

She wondered, now, if it was for humanity's sake, or his own.

So his eyes wouldn't wander to the two that’d been at her feet. Lying there.

Beside her, Larrens asked what was wrong. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Listen, I have an assignment for you: get me the names of everyone currently within the Scouting Legion. I want a full list by later tonight. Go now.”

Larrens sprang to his feet, giving a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” Then, he was off.

Moblit, who had opted to stay with them instead of following his Squad Leader, shook his head. “It’s never just ‘nothing’ with you, Squad Leader Ines.” He smiled forlornly. “Or the Commander, for that matter. ‘Nothing important’? It’s the opposite, right?”

She grimaced. He always knew how to press her buttons, didn’t he? Although, unlike Hange, there was no harm in telling him the details, and, after she was finished, Moblit rubbed his chin in thought.

“Hmmm… Considering how many are in Captain Levi’s squad, that means you have four people to pick, right? That’s why you sent Dierck off.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Well, I think I have someone in mind…”

 

The day after, early in the morning, the sun not even up yet, Ines stalked through the shadowy halls of the Scouting Legion Headquarters, thinking of the report the Commander had handed to her not long before. Somehow, as only to be expected of him, he had gotten permission for she and her entire squad to travel to the Interior for several weeks.

And if that wasn’t enough, their official mission was to visit the Military Police’s prison, having been given sanction to recruit any prisoners willing into the ranks of the Scouting Legion if they so chose, even those on death-row.

Crossing through the courtyard now to reach the barracks, although it didn’t really surprise her that the Royal Government had allowed such a request, it was the motive behind that she wanted to know of, and, stopping at the door to one of the dorms, she made her presence known present, slacking off from her duties as usual.

"What is it?" Riecka asked without taking her eyes from her blade, busy sharpening it with a stone.

Ines closed the door behind her. "I need to speak with you."

Watching Riecka go up and down the blade at an angle, flipping between the stone’s two sides, if there was to really be surprised about, it was the fact that after so many expeditions and slaying of Titans that Riecka still had the same blade from when she first volunteered to join the Legion.  Though the single-edged blades were made of the toughest material available, ultrahard steel from the Interior, they weren’t indestructible. Looking at the blade, Ines wondered how much blood has stained it throughout the years. Whatever the amount, she knew there was more yet to come, and came closer, waiting for the other woman to finish.

When she did, Riecka looked up with a devilish grin. "Why? Gonna hook me up with a hot date, Squad Leader?"

"Something like that."

“Oh?”

“The Commander has given me leadership of a new Special Squad, and I’ve decided to pick you as one of its members. The first, in fact.”

Riecka chuckled. “How flattering. And here I thought you’d go for that goody-two-shoes as your first. So, what’re we doing? More yeast drops?”

She knew the woman was mocking those reddish-black clumps Hange and some scientists from the Interior had created, but, just as this new task given to her, what the logistics units did was very important to the overall success of their struggle against the Titans. To have her poking fun at that was something that would’ve gotten her a chiding to any other day, but, now, there were larger things at stake — not that it didn’t mean she wasn’t still annoyed by it. Furthermore, Larrens was nothing but dependable, unlike her at the moment.

Ines scowled. “No, something more appropriate to the current situation.” She offered her the report.

Riecka skimmed it briefly, then handed it back. “So, the Special Investigations Squad, huh?” she said, now picking something from her teeth. “Ah, what time do we start?”

“Tomorrow, at first light. Meet me in the central courtyard. I’ll have the other members chosen by then.”

“Aye, Squad Leader.”

“And Lenz? It’s Captain now. Be sure to remember that.”

With that said, Ines left the woman back to her own devices and started on her way toward the second person she had in mind.

While it was true Riecka was an excellent soldier where combat was concerned, she was brash, arrogant, and not much better two personality-wise than those two that man had chosen for his own squad.  She couldn’t believe she’d let him talk her into having that woman as a member of her squad, but, he’d convinced her that a certain balance was needed — especially where they were going. Though, if there was one thing she had to praise Riecka for other than her combat prowess, it was her ability to work in a team. Something a graduate fresh from the Corps wouldn’t truly understand right away.

Only, now, to keep herself from anymore unnecessary headaches, she had to pick three others who weren’t going to be as much a nuisance, as she double-checked the list Larrens had prepared for her.

The first one to catch her eye was Zena Bartosz. She remembered the woman being somewhat fidgety, anxious about seemingly every little thing, but, other than that trait, her intelligence was one of the highest on and off the field. She was also young, only nineteen, though, she had been a part of more operations than most and, miraculously, came back alive at every turn.

Second, Alger Gerhardt. Not the brightest soldier in the Scouting Legion, but, a quick wit more than made up for that blemish upon his person. The only problem was he had a knack for being the first to charge in, with a bravery unmatched by his peers. Certainly, during their trainee days, she’d known him to be a brilliant inspiration to those around him where he lacked in other areas.

Lastly, she couldn’t decide. Not that because there were so many choices — she’d already narrowed down the list to those she wanted — but that, when the Commander had delivered the task to her personally, he had suggested waiting until she got to the prison to decide the last member. Did he want another cutthroat in their ranks? Wasn’t the one they had enough?

With Erwin, there was always something more hidden between the lines, and — though she was loathe to admit it — the incident with Lovoff had secured them a valuable asset, so, this time, she wondered what the Commander’s true goal was.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the Commander. No, on the contrary she would give her life for him when it came down to it, but, she also couldn’t blindly follow behind him anymore. Even with how smoothly things have been going the last few years, there was always the possibility that something could come back to slit their throats during the night when they’re sound asleep.

Not that she had honestly slept well in years.


	6. Chapter 6

Lying down after a sore two days worth of combat exercises, Ymir almost missed her time on the streets. Almost.

A hand on her cheek, she watched Potato Girl getting her hair brushed by Mina, a particularly energetic yet also bookish girl who never knew when to stop poking her nose in other people’s business. She yawned, half listening to what story she was recounting from a book she read when she was younger about the Titans. Something about a woman, hair red as scarlet, giving some gullible moron a trinket wrapped in fine cloth. The only reason Ymir was listening to her prattle on about it in the first place was for two reasons.

First, she knew this girl was in the same dorm as that girl who’d been glaring at her that night after the opening ceremony, and if she waited — stayed awake long enough for her to finish she dumb story, that is — then she could get down to the real questions.

Second, though it was a dumb story, one thing in particular caught her attention: the trinket. This trinket could be what she might have seen in her dreams. She grit her teeth, vividly seeing it in her mind, mocking her.

Her thoughts traveled back to then, when she was an urchin. A thief, slinking between the shadows, running from the wealthy shopkeepers of that town after swiping their goods and wares and scavenging for her next meal. Ducking into alleyways, waiting outside the reach of the moonlight, hearing them give up but still proclaim proudly that they could get a new shipment of whatever items were stolen faster than she could steal them.

Of that one fatass, who hadn’t stopped hunting her, even sending those goons after her, all because of that trinket. The trinket she had risked her life to get, and, in the end, shattering into a million pieces and scattering in just as many directions, had been just a piece of junk. Similar, but, not the same, as that one in her dreams. The same fucking dream she kept having every night, ever since that nightmare ended. Ever since she told herself that she would live for nobody, but, herself.

“... And the leader accepted the gift,” Mina continued. “He gave the child to the woman post, as her mother cried out in protest and everyone else bowed their heads. Giving up this child was the only way they could survive for further generations, they all knew this…”

Not listening to story at all, Potato Girl whined about something. One of the other two girls present, Achi, told her to shut up. Ymir chuckled. Then, to her annoyance, Krista politely asked that Achi not be so mean, and that Sasha had a right to complain. Since the opening ceremony she’d been getting nothing but picked on about the potato, and then her flatulence because of what someone — the stupid girl cast a nasty look back at her — said at dinner.

Ymir glared back. “ _ That _ one wasn’t me,” she corrected.

“Still, you didn’t have to laugh with them! You’re only making it worse by—!”

“Will both of you shut up?” Achi growled, turning back to Mina. “Hey, what happened after that?”

“Ah, right… um…” Mina cleared her throat. “... But, for the mother, she had to watch as the woman took her only daughter in her arms and smiled crookedly. The woman handed her to a young girl at her side. The young girl’s expression was blank, as if she’d never seen a baby before. Noticing how distraught the mother was, the woman reassured her: ‘You're doing a very brave thing, my dear. Your child, this girl, she will be something great. She will be loved and cared for. You have my word on that,’ she told her..."

Beside her, Ymir noticed Krista stiffen.

_ The woman turned to the young girl and told her to hold the child tight, then gave one last smile to the mother, the leader, and their kin as she and the girl disappeared as quickly as they had come. Immediately after her departure, the leader sent a messenger to the Walls to ask for admission to live within. _

_ When the messenger finally came back from his days' journey with news of their acceptance, he found the village to be empty. As he walked through it, finding some of the makeshift huts crushed underfoot, he felt a buzzing in his mind, partially paralyzing him. He collapsed just as he made it to the leader's tent. _

_ He struggled to see if anyone was inside. _

_ A garbled voice that sounded vaguely like the leader's answered and he craned his neck to see what it was, all the muscles in his body now shutting down. There was no yell in surprise when he was taken in the shaky hand of a monster, his last thoughts that it closely resembled the leader. And, in his last moment, he was able to make sense of its garbled speech. _

Then, she got really close to Potato Girl, gripping her shoulders tight. "... Have we been accepted?"

“T-that’s kind of scary,” Sasha said.

“I know, right?!” Mina exclaimed. “Gave me goosebumps since I was little!”

“Well, that was boring,” Ymir said. She glanced over at Krista, trying to gauge a reaction from her, but, the blonde-haired girl didn’t say anything. Instead, Krista stared straight ahead at something only she could see. “Say, Achi,” — she turned her attention to the other girl, having noticed her catching Krista’s lack of the usual ‘I thought it was good story!” response, too — “What did you think?”

Achi didn’t say anything, either.

“Alright, all done!” Mina said, ringing a few last brunette strands from Sasha’s hair. The brush in her hand was covered in them, and she excused herself to clear the stuff off, full of dirt and other gunk from the past two days.

Sasha burped, blushing a bit. “E-excuse me.”

Ymir huffed. Rolling over on her back, she looked at the ceiling.  During dinner, their real first one since the opening ceremony where the food wasn’t total shit and without Potato Girl screwing something up for once — of her own accord, anyway — she had also eaten her fill, and would be regretting it tomorrow because they still had another two weeks of this left before they started doing bookwork. The kind of memorization-means-everything bullshit people like Mina adored, and she looked over at the door, thinking now was the perfect opportunity to ask her about that pointy-nosed bitch.

 

Mina was busy at a nearby well, using fresh water from a bucket at her side to clean what still remained on her brush, when she approached.

The homely girl glanced back, and smiled. “Oh, hey, Ymir!” she said. “Need something?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Mina put down her brush, balancing it on the rim of the bucket, wiped her hands on her uniform’s pant leg, and stood up. “OK, what is it?”

Even as dark as it was, Ymir could see she was giving her full attention. She clicked her tongue. Did this girl even think twice about her selflessness? “So… you know who I’m talking about… The midget with the permanent grump face…”

Mina’s brow furrowed. “You mean... Annie?”

She put a hand on her hip, waving it off. “Whatever. Does she always glare at people or is it just the people she doesn’t especially like?”

Mina took a moment to mull the question over, a finger tapping her chin as she looked up to the night sky. The stars were out in full tonight. “Hm. I don’t think she hates you, if she has been. More like… she’s being cautious…?”

Ymir raised an eyebrow. “Hah? About what? Me?”

At that, Mina looked back at her and lifted the finger. As if to say ‘ah, ha!’. “I did overheard her say something about the Military Police once before!” she said eagerly, a grin playing itself across her face. “So, maybe she’s nervous that you’ll get in the top ten over her… I think…!”

Based on her… sudden rush of excitement… By overhear, didn’t she actually mean ‘eavesdrop’? “The… top ten? And why the hell would I care about that?”

The girl shrugged. “You could always ask her yourself, though she hasn’t been very friendly lately. Which might be my fault…” She said that last part with a slight whisper and averted her eyes, turning a bit red. Like a toddler caught in the act. “Fritz and I have been trying to, um,” — she coughed — “Get her to talk more, but, she’s stubborn.” Meeting her eyes again, Mina composed herself and gave another one of those genuine smiles of hers. “Though, Fritz has had more luck than me, so really, I’d ask him what he thinks first.”

Ymir scowled. The way she smiled actually irritated her a little. It was so… weird. Scratching her head, she searched her memory for anyone named Fritz and one boy, average, nothing remarkable about him whatsoever — well, other than his stupidity which rivaled Connie’s — came up. Oh, that guy. Although, she had seen him sitting next to Annie that first day, so, maybe… Wait. Why did she care what about any of that, either?

Her scowled grew darker. “Forget it. Just… Tell her to knock it off.” She glanced back at the dorm. “I’ve got enough problems to deal with.”

Mina gave a thumbs up. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Yeah…” She huffed, and left the girl to finish her brush-cleaning, heading back to the dorm where those problems were waiting.

 

Several days later, sitting down after another tiring hike with gear the weight of a damned horse strapped to their backs, Ymir stretched her shoulders and pulled out her knife. This had been their longest, most grueling one yet. Complaining to herself about this and that and what she’d like to do to Shadis — the asshole, telling her she couldn’t have anything to drink until the exercise was over — she began scraping and prying rocks from the bottom of her boot.

Yeah, OK, she  _ had _ switched her canteen with Potato Girl’s without her knowing, and, yes, she had stashed more than one on her person just in case she emptied that, too, but,  _ dammit _ — “It’s hot out… Bald prick,” she grumbled, sweat dripping from her brow. She even striped out of her uniform, the jacket lying across a rock by her leg. Regulation could go to hell. That was when she felt someone staring at her, and looked up. If it was that bitch again, she swore, she’d pu—no, it was that guy. The one who hung around with Mina and pestered Annie all the time, Fritz. She caught his stare and glared back, then motioned him over as she went back to stabbing her boot.

"It's not polite to stare, asshole," she spat as he came beside her. "What there something you wanted or you just a stupid bastard with nothing better to do than oogle girls?"

He replied with a nod at her boot. "What's on there? You step on something?"

"No, I just like dulling knives for fun. Yeah, I stepped on something. Is that all you wanted to know?"

He nodded again. Unhooking his canteen, he offered it to her. "Here.”

She looked at him, eyes searching his face, saw no ill will or mischief, and accepted it. Shaking the canteen, it was half full. She took a sip. It was cool, but, refreshing. With half the mind to just keep it for herself, she instead tossed it back.

He caught it and hooked it back to his belt. “So…” he began, watching her go back to it. “Mina told me that y—”

“So,” Ymir mocked. “She didn’t do what I asked, hah?” Sinking her knife into the ground at her feet, she shook her head. “You can count on me, my ass’,” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Look,” — Ymir moved her hair from her eyes, it was getting too long again — “I don’t know what she told you, but, I give more a damn about these rocks still stuck in my boot than your midget friend. I just want her to stop glaring at me.”

“She does that to everyone.”

She sniffed. “Well, make her stop doing it to me.”

“Ah… I can’t do that, b—”

“And why not?”

“But, I will mention it to her,” Fritz said, finished his sentence, a little irritated. Then, already over it, he grinned. “Count on it!” He put a fist to his heart, dedicating himself to his new pledge.

Her knife was back in her hand. “Yeah, you go do that…”

Ymir watched him walk away, then went back to her boot. Savoring the first drop of water on her tongue in at least an hour or more, Fritz wasn’t such a bad guy. The perfect kind of person to use and exploit, like Potato Girl… or… she stopped what she was doing. Like Krista. No, on second thought, he wasn’t like those two, but, she could still use him to her advantage, and — "Ah. Damn..."

She'd accidentally run her knife through her boot.

 

At the requisition office, the instructor on duty reached back and pulled out a pair of boots from the pile behind him. "Try these on," he said, a clipboard on his counter and pencil at the ready to mark down her taking of yet another pair of boots.

Wiggling her toes inside them, Ymir thanked the instructor and put her old ones on the counter, having to wait until he signed off on the replacements before she could leave.

She yawned.

The only equipment they'd gotten since the opening ceremony that hadn't been used by someone else were those same ones from that day, and it was up to them to keep and maintain those. Otherwise, glancing down at her "new" boots, they were forced to take whatever they could get from here. After so many pairs of old, smelly boots — and some shirts, mostly socks — later she'd come to the realization that the military, or, actually, their main backers, the nobility, didn't give a damn about them.

Just like back then.

He finished. "Alright, you're free to go. Don't ruin them, this time. Here, put your signature on this line,"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, swiping the pencil from him. Looking at the page, she suddenly froze.

The instructor sighed. "If you can't spell your name, put an X."

Heading out into the blistering sun once again, Ymir cursed herself. After all this time, she still didn't know the majority of what was written. She was reminded of her time in the church, when she had read those words on the plague. Since then, thinking the rest would come back to her in due time, she knew now that it wasn't so simple. That it wasn't something to be remembered, but, learned. Recalling the recruitment center, the first time it'd happened, and the last she had to write something since now, she was embarrassed just thinking about it, and looked over at a group of trainees having a laugh.

Other than the things she couldn't remember, there were also those things she didn't want to remember, and never wish she had in the first place — like the trinket. That necklace she saw in her dreams, and... also something else. Someone else. A prominent figure, with a face both caring and cruel, that haunted her. Hounded her. Kept her awake at night, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, bury it, kept resurfacing. Even now, she could see them. See  _ her _ , with that happy smile on her face which contradicted the dark horrors hidden in her heart, and stopped.

"... Ymir, do you want to join us?"  Krista asked from within that group of trainees, having caught her stare. The small girl left a gap open in their circle, and invited her to step in. "We were talking abo... Ymir?"

Well, she wanted no part of it.

Instead, she went looking for Achi, eventually finding her puffy-eyed and alone, sitting in the shadow of a building away from the rest of the 104th. She'd been crying again. A girl who always seemed aloof, was actually bottling up those tears she was trying to wipe away from her cheeks right now, saving them for these quiet moments alone, and, though she hadn't told her exactly what happened, it was apparent without Ymir needing to know the full details.

Here was a young girl who lost everything, and, now, missed it dearly.

Yet, instead of casting it away, instead of hiding it from the world — even if in private — at least she was trying to deal with the circumstances life had thrown her way.

Unlike a certain someone they both knew, and, to a lesser extent, one more.

"Say, kid," Ymir said after a time, having been silently leaning beside the younger girl. "You know anything about writing?" 

Achi raised an eyebrow, back to her usual, I-don't-give-a-damn-about-you-and-yours self. "Like what?"

Ymir rubbed the nape of her neck, flushing. "Well.. ."


	7. Chapter 7

"Achi, can you hand me that blanket?"

Pointing over to it lying near Sasha's feet, Krista thanked Achi after she did and then covered Sasha up, who was snoring without a care in the world. Taking caution not to wake her — as if that were such an easy task — she proceeded to wipe the drool from the girl’s face with a cloth and smiled after it was done.

Now tidying up the area, she waved Achi over again, asking her to help sweep. The auburn-haired girl grumbled, but, took up a broom and went to work.

Standing by the doorway, Ymir spat outside the dorm and sniffed. “Hey, why’re you wasting still your time with that?”

Krista ignored her.

The conversation died then and there.

She heard Achi call for her, needing another hand to help clean up whatever Sasha just threw up. Rolling up her sleeves, she went back to it, thoughts drifting weeks back to her time in that forest shortly following her farewell to Isolde and the village of Thorpe.

She had left under the cover of night, not having looked back.

Trekking through the wilderness alone had been a frightening experience, but, managing to make steady progress, only having to stop when she needed to refill her canteen every so often in the creek Isolde would often send her, Achi, and the other children to fetch buckets of water from, luckily she hadn’t encountered any wolves which were prevalent there, only the occasional rabbit. The creek itself, had also helped.

Other than being a primary source of clean water for the village and a means to cool off during those warmer summer months, the creek also connected to a river which ran through Yarckel District — which was one of the other ways Isolde said they could reach it, if they needed to — and, using it as a natural guide, her journey had gone much smoother than without it.

Wiping the last bits of food from Sasha’s mouth, the girl had eaten too much again, having scarfed down nearly an entire squad’s worth of food. At least it was better than the first time they’d met the night of the opening ceremony. Practically the opposite. Now she had free reign to take as much as she wanted, instead of vying for scraps after being made the laughing stock of the entire Corps.

Today’s exercises had been especially brutal, and feeling through her hair, Krista pulled a small twig that had gotten tangled. Staring at it in her palm, she frowned. She remembered the broken flask. That man’s slashed throat. The blood. Their lives were about as significant as this twig, easily plucked and discarded like trash. She snapped it in half and looked over at Achi. She puffed her cheeks in a childish fashion, now recalling that last leg of her journey from the village.

Her feet red and raw, sore with each step she took, cutting through those grasslands after surviving the forest and unbeknownst to her, Achi had followed her the whole way. It was Isolde’s doing, no doubt in her mind about that. Though, whether it was to bring her back or for someone to keep her company, the other girl never said, and in the end it didn’t matter because the moment they’d seen those cannons gleaming under that harsh sun atop Wall Rose, fifty meters in height, there was no time for second thoughts.

They’d snuck into Yarckel via a caravan that she memorized the route of during her time at Thorpe, and she looked over at Ymir, then. That day had also been the one she had first met her, as well.

The evening after, Achi having gone on ahead, she had lost her way in the crowd. Walking through those streets, gripping at the sleeves of her jacket, she had been afraid somebody would notice who she was and, in her anxiousness to catch up with Achi, tripped shortly before reaching the recruitment center set up in the District. Expecting to be recognized right then and there, when those people went by without a second thought to her lying there, nose bloodied and knees scraped, it truly dawned on her then that if someone was really after her life that they would have taken it a long time ago. That her father would have. At that moment she knew what her life was truly worth: nothing.

Her time with Isolde had only helped her to deny the reality. Further solidified her belief that the military, that becoming a soldier, was her best chance to change that. To become something better that what everyone wrote her off as. That is, all but one of them. A girl, imposingly tall, had came up behind her as she lay there covering her nose and clutching her knee. Hoisted her to her feet again, proceeding to carry her the rest of the way while beginning a conversation about going the same way.

Dumbfounded, the only thing Krista could do, staring up into her freckled face through the pain, was nod and turn red as the hue of the sun shining above their heads. Though, whether it was noticed, the other girl had just moved on with conversation — and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect, when a group of scary looking men broke free from the crowd heading straight for them.

She had yelped when Ymir suddenly changed direction and ran full speed away from the recruitment center, diving into an alleyway with nowhere to run. Getting in front of her, she warned that those men were dangerous and to keep behind her, as one of them with a crooked nose came forward brandishing a knife. Krista remembered him calling her a tiny mouse, and Ymir an ugly shrew, the three others with him laughing at his comment. That was around the time Ymir had flung a rock at his face, plowing into him in the confusion that followed with her in tow, ducking down a side street and losing them.

She chuckled, recalling Ymir’s own blush of embarrassment afterward.

_ “Thank you for saving me… Ymir…” _

_ "It was nothing," she grumbled. "They weren't any trouble." _

_ "I'm Krista Lenz. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ymir!" _

_ "Likewise..." _

A smile came to her as the memory faded, then vanished just as quickly as she wondered why. What was Ymir’s reason for being there that day? What was her motive, for wanting to join the military? All she did was berate others, put them down like she constantly did Sasha, and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind to anyone, even Shadis. Ymir wasn’t hiding behind a moniker, like herself. Didn’t need to, and for that… she…

“Hey, you sick too or something?” Ymir called over without turning around.

“N-no, I’m fine!” Krista hastily replied, shaking her head.

“Whatever you say. So, Achi, about that…”

She went red in the face again, trying to clear her head. If she was to become a soldier, if she was going to change, those kind of thoughts wouldn’t do. Humming a tune, she watched as more stars appeared in the night sky, and then, frowned again. Where had she heard that song before?

She couldn’t… quite remember…

 

Later, walking back to her own dorm alone, Krista now thought of Achi.

Achi, at first, had been so distant and forlorn. So… dead inside. She knew that feeling so much it hurt just to think about it, and, looking down at her boots, it gave her irresistible urge to want to help her. Though, Achi hadn’t wanted her help. In spite of all her effort back at Thorpe in trying to get her to open up and even more-so now, Achi was inclined to listen to Ymir, and her influence was starting to show with each growing day. Not that it was a real problem, or should have been, but, she would have at least hoped to have some noticeable effect on her.

She sighed.

That, maybe, if she helped Achi, then she herself could heal. But, instead, she… Stopping in her tracks, Krista clenched her fists. It hadn’t done a damn thing.

“Oh well,” she said to herself, now dragging her feet along in the gloom. It only served to — her attention was broken away from her thoughts as she caught glimpse of something moving ahead of her. She looked back up, vaguely able to make out what it was. Or, rather, who it was.

Curiosity getting the better of her, again, Krista gave chase, spotting them round a corner of one of the larger buildings within the camp and peered up at the wooden sign attached to it. It was where their group seminars were going to be held soon. Whoever it was, was entering an area they weren’t allowed to be in yet, especially during after hours’. They were up to something, but, when she turned the same corner, nothing was on the other side.

She tilted her head in confusion. Where had they gone? They couldn’t have jus —“Mhhmaff!”

Something cold clasped itself over her mouth the moment she took a step forward! Pulled further into the darkness on the other side of the wall, she couldn’t struggle from the sudden attack because her arms were subsequently pinned, probably by the attacker’s other hand. Her mother, the knife, the blood, springing back to her mind in that instant, whatever their reason for ambushing her, she wasn’t that helpless girl she used to be!

Reacting quickly, Krista twisted her body and kicked out with her heel to try and knock whoever it was off balance. They anticipated the action and she was slammed against the wall, her arms locked even tighter. She wasn’t about to be taken that easily!

Flinging her head back, she hoped to hit them square in the jaw and stun them like she’d practiced in their exercises, but, again, they moved away before it made contact — just like she thought they would!

Spinning around, she came up with all her might, fist raised, and lashed out, only to have the same thing as before happen. Her attacker grabbed her wrist, twisted it behind her back, covered her mouth, and slammed her into the wall for the second time. Grimacing, she could feel the person’s breath on her neck as they leaned in closer.

“Why are you tailing me?” Annie whispered, as she gripped her hands even tighter around her mouth and arms. “Answer me.”

“Mhm! Mafffm!” The pressure loosened, and Annie’s hands moved away. Krista huffed, seeing the other girl standing there menacingly, fists raised, ready to fight. She knew she couldn’t win and slide down the wall in exhaustion and defeat. That one struggle had taken all she had. Panting, she took a moment to catch her breath. Then, spoke. “I… could say the same to… you! If you’re thinking of cheating, you can’t!”

At her outburst, Annie approached. Krista felt her gut drop, thinking the other girl was going to pummel her into the dirt, but, instead, she just lowered her fists and stared at her blankly for a second.

“You thought I was going to cheat? That’s why you followed me?” Her tone was unreadable. Then, hoisting her up by the collar of her shirt, Krista caught a slight hint of contempt in it with her next word. “Cheating?”

“That’s… right…! What other reason was there for going into the lecture-hall before we’re supposed to?!”

Annie abruptly dropped her. “I have no intention of doing that.”

Rubbing her behind, Krista glared up at her. “Then… why…?”

“I should be the one asking the questions.” Annie bent down, getting in her face. “Why were you really tailing me?”

Startled at the sudden accusation and ferocity now plain in the other girl’s voice, she lowered her gaze. “I… happened to see you… So, I just…”

She heard Annie sigh. “What a waste of my time. I’m going back to my dorm. Listen, this never happened. Got it?”

“Hey, wait…” Krista called after her, but, Annie was already gone. Sitting there alone, she cursed the cold night air and looked up to the stars, seeing the first star twinkle in the twilight above . “I suppose everyone has their secrets, huh…?”

She wondered about it again. The twig. Something so insignificant, yet when thrown into a fire it could help keep it burning for hours longer. Similarly, the soldiers of the military, people who were humanity’s fire, burning brightly in the night, blinking out when the daybreak came as they sacrificed themselves to keep the light of humanity going. Saviors of the present. Martyrs for the future.

And she was going to be the brightest of them all.

 

In order to be the brightest, Krista knew that meant in her other studies, also.

Their first day of group seminars in the lecturehall had started an hour ago. Already she could see that a lot of information about the military, what it takes be a soldier, would be found here, once a day for several hours each, as the instructor in charge — a slim, studious looking older man with white hair and small, rounded glasses — with a book in hand, wrote out the basics of what they needed to know immediately of the threat they faced on the board behind him. Of the Titans, the monsters that had nearly brought humanity to its extinction. She began copying it all down, listening to him recount their origins.

"For one hundred and seven years the Titans have existed, according  to the oldest record we have of their existence. As many of you already know, the entire human race was devoured by them, save for us. The Walls — Maria, Sheena, and Rose, respectively — were constructed after that, to keep us safe. As many of you also know, exactly two year ago, when tragedy struck again in the form of the Colossal and Armored Titans..."

As he went on about the breaching of Wall Maria and the aftermath of a third of the Wall's population being sent out to reclaim it the next year, where none returned, Krista once again recalled her time on Isolde's farm, finding and reading a book about the Titans. All tales that weren't true like the one Mina had talked about, but, one of them in particular had stuck with her since.

As the story goes, one day, while out in the woods on her way home, a kind girl who always thought of others and was loved by everybody, got lost and in her attempt to find her way, encountered something unspeakable. A creature so hideous in its monstrosity that none dared approach it before she chanced upon it. Giving the creature some fruit she had been carrying in her knapsack, the girl quickly befriended it and, in exchange, it ate her.

When she had asked Isolde about the story later, the old woman's response was only that kindness could only get you so far.

“The sole interest of the Titans is the eating of human beings,” the instructor continued. “They have absolutely zero interest in anything else and if we consider that they've existed without eating humans for more than a hundred years since the Walls have been built, we can assume that they don't need to eat.” He flipped a page. “And from the information we've gathered thus far, they are able to regenerate injuries, even re-grow their head if it's been blow off.”

Someone raised their hand. “Does that mean they're unkillable?!”

“No, it does not.” The instructor drew the head, neck, and shoulders of a human, then proceeded to circle the space between where the neck connected to the shoulders — the nape. “Major injury to this area of the body has been confirmed to effectively kill a Titan. For that purpose, you trainees are going through these lessons, which the primary goal of are to study, learn, and execute strategies on how best to kill them. Once a lesson is over, you will practice whatever was discussed through your training in correspondence with whatever you did here on that specific day. For today, you will become familiar with the military's main device to combat the Titans: Vertical Maneuvering Gear."

One of the devices was disassembled and laid out on a table in front. Krista's focus went to the blade which served as their primary weapon against them, as the instructor started explaining each part of the device.

 Later that day, with her own hands on one of these Titan-killing blades, she gripped the handle tightly. It shook. Holding it near her neck, she was vividly reminded of her mother's final moments, and wondered if they could be used to harm a person, too. Looking across at her partner for their exercises with them for the next several days, Krista hoped that answer was no.

Though, deep down, imagining her father standing there instead, she secretly wanted it to be  _ yes _ . 


	8. Chapter 8

Annie stared at the soup on her tray, her spoon resting lazily against the bowl untouched. It bubbled. She grimaced, disgusted yet again, and pushed it away.

It was the second day of their exercises to familiarize themselves with the Vertical Maneuvering Gear, and she had to be cautious. Her actions were being noticed, as had been pointed out unwittingly by Fritz, who had approached her on the tall, dark-skinned girl's behalf. Furthermore — especially after that incident some nights ago — it would be wise to lay low for a while. Not to mention, her eyes wandering over to Fritz despite herself, it was getting more difficult to keep he and Mina away. Even beating them to a pulp had little effect, and, it was only a matter of time before they started scratching past the surface.

Right now, he was conversing with that boy with the shaved head. Again. In fact, he was more cheerful and even more of a grinning fool than usual. If that was even possible. Whatever they were chatting about, she couldn't hear, but, recalling their training today, she knew that if they didn't start doing something with their blades like everyone else, the Chief Instructor would make their next few days a living hell.

For today, with a partner, they had just been doing simple motions with the blades again for getting them used to their weight and feel before they moved on to more strenuous activities, after having spend these last several weeks hardening their bodies in preparation, but, the two of them — no, she shouldn't concerned with fools like the two of them. Instead, she turned her attention to the others seated around her. One caught her eye. It was the girl with the red scarf. Annie now knew her name as Mikasa Ackerman.

Her features were… unlike any she'd ever seen. Strange. Foreign. Not like the majority of the others here. Yet, there was something familiar about it. Though, she couldn't tell for certain what it really was. The triangular structure of her face? The slight slant of her eyes? Shifting her attention to what the girl was looking at, beside her was the cocky boy, Eren Yeager. Other than that incident in the messhall with the other boy whose name she couldn’t recall at the moment but whose face reminded her of a horse, after seeing him hanging upside down in his harness that day, dangling there helplessly after all that big talk, she realized he was full of nothing but hot air. And, next to him, was the other one, not notable whatsoever, Armin Arlert.

The three of them always seemed to be together.

Going to another trio, making certain not to draw attention to herself — and now that she thought about it — that tall girl’s features looked familiar, too. Even more so than Mikasa's. Ymir was her first name, courtesy of Fritz. No last name. The one with the blank expression, who now just seemed generally upset all the time, was Achi Almen. And, the blonde one who had unwittingly stopped her that one night, Krista Lenz.

Just three more to keep an eye on in the future.

"Hey, Annie!" Mina waved to her, just having come out of the serving line.

Right then Annie decided to take a sip of her soup. It tasted horrible, but, at least struggling to swallow it kept her attention enough so she didn't have to listen to the annoying braid-haired girl as she immediately launched into something trivial now seated across the table from her. She was about to risk another sip when Mina's next words froze the spoon halfway to her mouth.

"... as friends, I think..."

Friends? Annie looked up. "What do you mean 'as friends'? " she asked, confused and irritated at the same  time. "What makes you think you and I are friends? We aren't anything of the sort."

"Isn't it simple?" Mina replied, leaning forward again, "I like talking to you, and I believe that underneath that quiet, grumpy exterior is a great person just ready to burst out!" Her smile was almost blindingly happy. "In fact, I want us to become best friends, Annie!"

Best friends?

Her mind went back to the day after the final candidate had been chosen. When he'd come sprinting into the yard, out of breath and panting with his tongue out like a dog.

At the time, she had been preoccupied with an insect on the ground, and crushed it without a second thought. Hadn't payed attention when it was told to them that the attack would commence soon. That out of the seven chosen candidates, six would have the chance to become full fledged warriors loyal to the cause. To the subsequent scuffle afterward, only catching the tail end of what that dog had been whining about...

_ "... He's right. I'm the bottom of the group." _

_ "Really? I think loyalty is important. Right? Don't you agree, Annie?" _

She remembered staring at the insect smeared across her shoe, looking up into both of their faces, and wondering why she was here. What purpose her life was for.

The same dog who was currently laughing with a group of other trainees, no longer the scared pup he used to be, and took that second sip of her soup. She didn't need any friends.

 

The blades were made for flexibility, forged to be as sturdy as possible, from a material known as "ultra-hard steel". A type of metal that could be only created in factory towns and outposts, the largest manufacturer being the Industrial City located within Wall Sheena, it was one of the few materials capable of cutting through a Titan's flesh. Though, unlike these other materials — most notably its more primitive predecessor, Iron Bamboo — the man-made ultra-hard steel was in abundance, and the blades therefore safely disposable. As a consequence, they dulled easily to the point where sharpening them with a stone or other object was a waste of time. Thus, They were forged in such a way that they could "snap-off" by breaking off the section of the blade as the wielder saw fit.

Listening to their instructor refresh their memories about its origins, Annie inspected the one in her hand, taking note of where these sections were, she also inadvertently learned of the Wall's history and found that it all linked back to this Industrial City. She went back to the straw dummy setup for them to practice this "snap-off" feature of the blade, giving a glance over in Reiner's direction, seeing him encouraging his partner, Eren Yeager. She felt her jaw clench.

Watching the angry boy repeatedly go at his own straw dummy, breaking section after section until he was only left with the hilt before long, she had to admit that underneath all that hot air was a strong sense of focus. If Eren turned out to be the one they were looking for, a person like him was bound to be troublesome if he kept improving himself through sheer tenacity, and that big oaf was only making it worse.

But, no, the likelihood of it being Eren — or any trainee within the 104th, for that matter — was slim at best. It was most definitely within the hands of someone within the Interior. If not the King, then someone close to him. A relative, perhaps.

Even so, even here, she couldn't let her guard down.

Turning to her own partner since yesterday, at the blade he wielded broken down to a snub and her own which she had yet to start with, it would be worth it to look more into this Industrial City. That is to say, the second reason they were here: intelligence gathering. Considering its importance in humanity's technological advancements within the Walls, a place like the Industrial City was bound to hold secrets of not only the resources used for humanity's fight against the Titans which the instructor had pointed out as "highly classified" when she'd asked, but, maybe... the Coordinate, too.

If she wanted to, she could possibly find out its exact location tonight, but, then, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't accidentally run into someone again or for Mina, Fritz, or someone else to notice her absence. Worse yet, having them report it to Shadis. That she couldn't allow. So far —

"Springer! Brandt!" the Chief Instructor's shrill voice blasted across the training field. "Why are you two idiots doing?!"

Annie didn't bother to look over like everyone else, only shaking her head.

So far, nobody had come to her asking for her whereabouts on certain nights, meaning Krista hadn't said a word about that night. She was safe for now, but, once again, it was best to stay where she was. Keep a low profile. No more nightly escapades for the time being. Those two could do it themselves for once, if they felt so inclined. Though, it's not likely they would. If Marcel was here... But, he wasn't, so there was no use dwelling on it. What happened before...

_ "Look out!" _

_ "Ah!" _

_ "Reiner... where are you...?! Annie, hey, come on! Annie! Annie...!" _

"... Leonhart!  _ Leonhart _ ! Are you all there in the head?!"

She was abruptly brought back to the present by the Chief Instuctor, who stood over her, shouting. Had been for some time, judging by the looks on the faces around her, and she looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, i t doesn't look like it!" he spat back. "Are you bored, Leonhart?!"

"No, sir."

"I don't believe you! If you're so bored doing these exercises, then you can join the idiot duo over there!  _ Blouse _ ," — he whistled, and out the corner of her eye Annie saw someone quickly duke behind their straw dummy — "You, too!"

He rounded the four of them up and sent them on their way to the detention center, where they were to spend the remainder of the day together.

Just her luck.

 

Annie stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed. The light that peeked in from the windows grew dimmer with each passing moment. Night was almost here.

Since being herded into the detention center, the four of them had been told that once their allotted time was up — when messhall was over — they were free to head back to their dorms. In the meantime, they were to think about their actions and reflect. Though, as the more time went by where Sasha didn't get any food, the more it looked as if she were ready to keel over, while the other two were now busy arguing over something stupid, none of them cared. Herself, included.

Their time in the detention center only served to give the Chief Instructor less daily headaches. If they weren't taking things seriously, it was better to let them wallow in their own stupidity and either let them phase out of training on their own, or let the Titans do it for them after they managed to graduate. Not that the military wanted to lose any of them, as every able-bodied soldier was a valuable asset in their fight against the Titans, but, it made them look bad to the common people otherwise if they saw their soldiers were so inept. If the soldiers didn't give a damn about humanity's future, then what hope was there?

But, all around her, she'd already seen it that first day — that lack of hope. Many of the trainees here were in it for themselves. Aiming to get as far away from the Titans as they possibly could, that was the whole reason they signed up. Not to fight, but, to run and hide. If that's what it meant to be a soldier, she'd rather not become one. She'd rather stay a warrior. Yes, a warrior is what she was...

_ "That's good, Annie! Strike it again! Good! Again!" _

_ "Annie Leonhart! You pass! Report to Commander Magath!" _

_ "And so, the plan to retake the Founder will be carried out by... _ "

_ "Promise me you'll come back." _

"... Hey, Annie, what do you think?"

They were huddled in a circle on the floor, and all three of them were looking at her, waiting for her to say something. Up until now they had been discussing something, and whatever it was weighed heavily on their consciousnesses from just their faces alone. She was eerily reminded of that same look on the candidates for the Warrior Program, those youths so eager to be chosen and yet dreading it all the same.

After a moment, Connie waved her off and fell on his back, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "She doesn't care! Told you, man!"

Fritz went back to him, scowling. "I think even Annie would care! Everyone else here does!"

"Y-yeah, he's right!" Sasha, Potato Girl, exclaimed. "What do you think, Annie?! Tell us!"

"Huh?"

Fritz stood up. "The Military Police! Will you be joining, too?!"

The Military Police Brigade. The branch of the military reserved for the top ten graduates of the training corps. They didn't fight the Titans on the frontlines like the Scouting Legion as humanity's sword or acted as humanity's shield like the Garrison, but, were instead their protectors within the Interior as an internal policing force tasked with maintaining order and keeping the peace. It was the branch many within the 104th were striving for and their sole reason for becoming soldiers: to run and hide.

And if the Coordinate was close to the King of the Walls like she guessed, then it would only be natural to join the Military Police to continue their search. To... run and hide...

_ "Annie?! What are you waiting for?!" _

_ "The Wall is right there! If we don't do it now, then...!" _

"... Annie?" Fritz came beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything OK?"

"W-what?"

"You're shaking."

She held out her hand, staring at the silver-banded ring on her index finger. It trembled. Forming a fist, she stopped it and regained her composure. "I'm fine..." she said, shrugging him off. "Didn't I tell you not to stand so close to me? And don't  _ touch _ me, either."

"Ah!" Fritz backed up. "Sorry!" He scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes to the side. "I forgot..."

She noticed his face turn red, and feeling her own grow hot again, cursed herself. They didn't say anything after that, and neither they nor Connie or Sasha went to break the sudden atmosphere between them. Thus, the four of them spent the remaining time in the detention center in silence, even when Shadis opened the door.

"So... did you maggots learn your lesson?!" he began. The heavy atmosphere gave him pause. Not that the man would ever let such a hesitation linger. "That's good! You're soldiers, act like it! Now get back to your dorms!"

They shuffled out, Connie first, then Sasha, Fritz, and last, her. Watching them walk away in front of her, she was once again reminded of that time. A similar scene of them preparing to enter the ship that would ferry them across the sea, came to her. Of those three, only one had looked back. Just the same, only one looked back, and she glared at him.

"What is it?" she said.

Fritz smiled reassuringly. "If there's... anything you want to talk about, Annie... Mina and I—"

"No," — she cut him off right then and there — "There isn't."

That said, she broke away from them and went to her dorm, reaching it shortly thereafter. Once inside, she fell on her bunk, listening to the soft sound of Mina's breathing as she began to drift asleep...

_Left, right, left, right, left, right. Swing._ _Going through the motions, that was all she could do. The training was too tiring.It hurt. Her arms, they were heavy. She was tired. It hurt. Left, right, left, right. Swing. So tired._

 _Though, she dared not stop because her father was watching._ _She had to keep going. She had to keep swinging. She had to keep doing the left and right motions, as her father was silently watching. Like a statue, he was still. Like a statue, he was unmoving. A thing chiseled from stone that was cold and unfeeling._

 _Every time she would take a swing, his brow became furrowed. He didn't like her swings._ _They were weak, they were pathetic. They were useless, they were no good. She wasn't trying hard enough. She was a disgrace._ _Tears started to fill her eyes — she couldn't take it anymore._ _It hurt too much. Left, right, falter, slow, left, right, falter, slow. Stop._ _She couldn't go on anymore. Panting from exhaustion, sweating profusely, she couldn't continue swinging._ _Her father's face filled with anger. Why was she stopping? Why didn't she continue? She should keep going until she drops. She should keep going until she dies._

_ "What're you doing, Annie...?! There's no time for breaks!" _

Jolted awake from the memory, Annie sat up in the quiet, thinking. The day after, frustrated, that insect she had flattened without a second thought, she had imagined it to be father, and, just the same, when they'd decimated that nation to the south, those too, had been like insects to her, but... now... having to live with her sins up close... Mina and Fritz's faces flashed through her mind then.

_ "I'm so sorry, Annie! Promise me you'll come back. _ "

No. A murderer like her didn't deserve friends, and she waited until the screams carried her off to sleep again, putting those thoughts of what could never be far in the back of her mind where the light wouldn't reach.

And, as a warrior, this is what she'd continue to be.

It was the only way for her to go back home.


	9. Chapter 9

_"When inspecting and cleaning your Gear, always make sure to double and triple check the axles around where the steel wire revolves once it's released."_

That's what Chief Instructor Shadis had first told them when they went to work disassembling their Gear, but, over the last several days since, still struggling to even remove his gas canister, Fritz had to be able to remove the pieces first.

The cylindrical shape of the canister was designed in such a way to make it a fast and easy removal and resupply, though his seemed to be caught on something inside the rectangular fitting it was housed in. It was  _supposed_  to pop right out, though, at the rate he was going, he was going to lose points for being twice as slow as the rest. He didn't want that to happen. Otherwise...

"Stupid thing!" he grumbled, tugging on the fitting. He then sighed, and stopped trying. Annie had been avoiding him — even more-so than usual — ever since their second day of this training, and all he could remember was that pale look on her face, her hand shaking, eyes revealing something that wasn't meant to be seen. Something horrible that she kept bottled inside, like the first day they met.

Mina had said the same thing, and when he asked around nobody could ever pinpoint her whereabouts at any given time, almost as if by the very mention of her name she simply vanished. Resurfacing only for their exercises and the messhall, Mina had even said that she was often missing from their dorm and came only when curfew required. When questioned about her day, Annie would stay quiet and just sleep. It was unusual, even for someone like her.

He just wished she would talk about it, whatever was weighting her down. Forcing the issue wasn't going to get them anywhere, so in the meantime he was focusing on his exercises, but, he also still hadn't heard her answer. Which branch of the military was she looking to join? Other than Eren, he was one of the only ones who was open about his decision to join the Scouting Legion. Two people was better than nothing, but, it wasn't enough. The Titans were a threat, and they wouldn't be defeated by staying in the Interior collecting taxes and playing cards, or so Lex used to say. If anything, he —

Ymir, who was his partner, snorted, breaking him away from his thoughts. "There's a button on the side, dumbass."

"Huh?"

She pointed to something on the bottom of the fitting. "There."

He found and pressed it. The canister came free. He blinked. Twice, still not grasping what he was looking at. It was so simple, and yet he… He looked up, frowning at his own lapse of intelligence. "Thanks…"

Being Ymir's partner was harsh, but, he'd come to realize that underneath that condescending attitude of hers was someone who really cared. Mina had pointed that out, and, at first, he hadn't seen it. Now, though, as he saw her turn a little red he felt better. She was a good person.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, rubbing the nape of her neck and turning away. "Don't misunderstand. If Shadis catches me next to a guy like you, your stupidity will rub off and I'll lose points by association."

Peeking at her own work, he raised an eyebrow. His frown softened. "Oh?"

She wasn't doing much better, crudely banging her Gear against the table and seemingly tossing the pieces around without a care or proper respect for the equipment. Really, he noticed that she was just clumsy.

Ymir glanced back over, seeing him watching her uncomfortably move this way and that over her Gear — seeing his now knowing smirk — and scowled. "Say anything, and I'll fucking kill you."

His smirk widened.

He wasn't just the only one, after all.

 

Now at dinner, Fritz was busy going over the motions of cleaning and setting up his Gear in his head, when a sharp whistle from Connie snapped him out of it.

"Hey, you in there?" Connie waved a hand in front of his face.

Looking up from his plate of untouched food with a furrowed brow, Fritz shook his head. "No. I-I mean yes! I was going over the exercises today. Memorizing them."

Connie rested his head on his arm, and inhaled through his nose, disinterested. "That stuff's easy," he said.

Fritz quickly looked back down, blushing. "Ye-yeah, it is!"

"Are you going to eat that, or what?"

"No. Not r—"

Whistling loudly, Connie sprang back up, suddenly alive again. "Hey Sasha! Come here! Do you want Fritz's food?! Says he doesn't want it!"

Fritz followed his friend's eyes to a table in the corner of the room where he saw three people huddled together he'd seen time and again.

They were one of four infamous trios that everyone in the 104th Trainee Corps knew of by now. Eren and Armin had their backs to him, but, Mikasa, the same one from back then on the training field that third day which left like a lifetime ago, was looking straight back at he and Connie. All the trainees were saying how talented she was. His eyes drawn to the red scarf she always seemed to have looped around her neck, he wished he had something like that to keep himself warm even if it was old and ragged. Then, he looked back at Connie.

Sasha wasn't there. What wa— "Gah!"

Someone's hands were sneakily reaching for his plate from right behind his back, and he jumped up, knocking heads with whomever it was.

"What the…? Ah!" Cradling it, he cursed and looked down, seeing Sasha crouched on the floor clutching her forehead.

"Ow..." she whined, and he bent down, offering a hand.

"Ah... Sorry, Sasha! Are you alr—" The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with a hurt jaw, dazed and disoriented.

"Quit pestering people, damn."

"E… eh...?" He craned his neck, seeing someone standing over him.

"It's annoying as hell!"

Whoever it was lifted Sasha up and strewn her across their shoulder, then looked down at him. "You owe me one, kid."

With that, not even giving a second thought before stepping over his sprawled out body, they walked off, taking Sasha with them.

Starting to regain his senses, Fritz sat up with a rattle in his brain. He tried to get back to his feet, and stumbled. His head hurt badly. "O… ow…" Watching them go, it was none other than Ymir. "H… Hey…! Wait! Ymir! Where are you going!  _Hey!_ "

The tall, freckled girl just kept walking. "To her bunk." She was already at the messhall doors when she stopped and turned to look directly back into his eyes. "Remember Friedrich: you owe me one."

"I told you, call me Fritz! Fritz! F-r-i—!"

"Whatever!" She waved him off, pushing open the door and disappearing into the night just as Krista shouted after her yelling for her to stop and apologize, racing after her shortly thereafter.

He started to follow after them, when the Chief Instructor came bursting through the doors, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"What is all the commotion?!" Veins practically popping out of his head, he cast his unflinching, seething gaze over everyone in the messhall.

It went dead silent. Nobody moved a muscle. Fritz had bolted back into his chair and kept his head lowered. Partially from the headache he felt coming on, and partially to stay hidden. To hopefully go unnoticed, and not be blamed for something he had spent the majority of the time knocked down on the floor for. He didn't want to go back to the detention center again.

Shadis took a frightening step forward. "Anyone want to tell me?"

"Sasha found a new lover, sir." Everyone looked over to see Mikasa standing up, hand raised. Fritz felt his face grow hot. She was staring right at him! No, stop, stop that! He dared peek back at the Chief Instructor.

Yet, Shadis just stood there for a moment, twitching. Then, he coughed and scratched the back of his head. Pinched the bridge of his nose. "Erm, well, then tell Blouse and her new 'lover' to meet me first thing in the morning!" With that said, he left, still red in the face, though more of out of embarrassment than rage this time. And, as soon as the sound of his boots crunching on gravel could no longer be heard, the messhall erupted with laughter.

Laughing the loudest was Connie, and, by that point, Fritz wanted to bury his face into his hands and forget he ever existed.

 

"Blouse! What is your excuse for making Brandt here your new 'lover'?!"

"He gave me food, sir!" the girl shouted back, not missing a beat. "A whole plate's worth, sir!"

Fritz watched the Chief Instructor reel back, totally dumbfounded. He just couldn't figure this girl out. To be honest, neither could he. Even after talking with her on numerous occasions. He didn't know what Connie saw in her.

"Well, lucky for you, Blouse! Your and your 'lover' are now going to run until I tell you to stop! Is that clear?!"

He was shouting at both of them this time.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted back in unison, holding their salutes firm.

"Get started!"

Then, he dismissed them.

And their run lasted all day.

By the time he told them they were done, much to the relief Fritz's sore calf muscles, and Sasha's aching stomach, did they both fall to the dirt in a sweaty heap. Yet, somehow, he managed to pick himself up and continue for a little while longer, hearing Sasha mumble something about bringing back food when he came back.

The world before him was nothing, but, a haze, and as he was engulfed in its heat, seeing the images of Lex and Ines in the distance, did he reach out calling their names until he finally succumbed to the exhaustion and collapsed. Cursing Connie's name as his face hit the ground for starting the whole thing in the first place, he continued to do so hours later when he woke up.

Opening his eyes, he weakly and wearily looked around for any sign of Sasha, but, it was too dark to see anything and on top of that his head still hurt. So, he put it back down. Rolling over, he stared up into the sky, wondering why it was such a dark green color and then flinched when something fell on his face. Lazily flailing an arm, he slapped it away. It floated up and came into focus moments later: a leaf.

Still suffering from his headache, he slowly, painfully, arched up. With a grimace, he rose to his feet and held onto the trunk of the tree the leaf had come from, using it for support. Holding himself steady, he balanced himself out, and rubbed his eyes. Starting forward, he bumped his knee on something, and cursed, looking down at a log which jutted out from a pile.

"I wouldn't move so soon, your body is still recovering."

"Huh? What? Who's…" he hoarsely called out, peering in the direction the voice had came from. He saw someone standing there next to the pile of logs, leaning against them, and tilted his head.  _It couldn't... be..._  "A… Annie?" He lit up.  _It was...!_

"You were running for a long time," she continued. Her tongue clicked on the word 'running'. "You're lucky I found you when I did, or else—"

Fritz touched the back on his head and winced. There was a bump. "So, is this a confession?" he asked, trying to read her expression in the dark. He heard her mutter something as she bounced off the logs to come face to face with him — or as close as she could manage with their height difference. Whereas he had grown taller in the last few months, she was more or less still the same height since the opening ceremony.

"Tell me," she spat, blue eyes piercing into him. "How do you want to  _die_  tomorrow?" she snarled.

He quickly held up his hands, backing away. "I-It was a joke! Just a joke!" he exclaimed, taking another step backward. "Don't you have a sense of humor?!" No response, but, she didn't move to snap his neck, and, after a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. Clearing his throat and now spreading out his hands in a gesture of thanks, he went to change topics fast. "Anyway, why did you bring me here? I mean, you could have just dropped me off at my dorm, right?"

Her stance eased. "I wanted to talk with you about something." She crossed her arms, looking away suddenly. "I wanted to know if you'd like to... be my sparring partner."

Fritz pointed at himself. "Me? Why me? And why that?" He sorely remembered the last time. At this very same spot even. "You'll just beat me up without even trying again."

"I want to see… how far you've improved," she replied. "If you have at all," she added haughtily, glancing back.

"Hey! Who says I haven't?!" he retorted.

"Then how about the next time we do martial arts exercises?" she challenged, eye flashing.

"You're on!" he accepted, grinning as he jabbed a finger at her and poked her right in the nose.

She scowled, slapping his finger away. "It's decided, then." Breaking eye contact, Annie walked away, not looking back.

Fritz watched her disappear into the night, breathing another sigh of relief as soon as he was certain she was gone. He didn't know how he was going to feel in the morning, let alone when that time came, and plopped down on the pile of logs, mulling it over.

The 104th reminded him of home — the hectic nature of it all — and he smiled at nothing in particular as he saw the sun starting to shine over the clouds in the distance, glad that Annie seemed alright.

 

Later in the week, after their training for the day was done and Shadis had dismissed them to get some rest, Fritz stretched his sore and aching limbs.

Having Ymir as a partner was not just harsh, but, a nightmare. Though she hadn't brought up anything about favors or owing her one, he'd been fearful the whole time. Eventually she was bound to bring it up again and when that time came too like with Annie he dreaded what might happen, but, for now, he was hungry, and decided to head back in the direction of the messhall, wondering where someone like her was from to be the way she was. Her words still echoed at the back of his mind:  _you owe me one_.

As he walked along, two trainees stopped in front of him, both wet and muddy from the day's events.

"Alright, Sasha, say what you wanted to say," Mikasa said in a flat, but, hard and even, tone. This was one of those rare times seeing her without either Eren or Armin — not to mention both of them. She pushed the girl cowering behind her forward.

Sasha fell to the forest floor, bowing her head. "I-I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered, louder than necessary. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble! Again! I just… wanted your food… this time... again..." She looked up, a sad smile on her face that reminded him of a pouting kitten.

He gave a thumbs up, a habit he'd gotten from Mina. "It's alright! I understand!"

Without hesitation she came up, clasping his hands in hers. "Oh! You do? You really do?!" she cried, eccentric. "I'm so glad! I was so happy when you selflessly gave me your plate that night! So happy!" she went on, still beaming. "I was so grateful! I thought I was going to die back there if not for your kindness!" She beamed, now shaking them wildly.

"OK! OK! Calm down! Easy!"

Mikasa interrupted with a clearing of her throat. She clapped her hands together, breaking up the exchange. "Now that that's settled, our lunch is getting cold," she said, pointing at the trail that led back to the main camp. "We should hurry. I have to check on someone."

"Right, let's not waste anymore time!" Fritz agreed, head held high as the three of them now continued down the trail together upon seeing the look in her eyes. A look that meant this person was very important to her. He knew that all too well, as she took the lead, Sasha the middle, and himself the rear.

Staring at the back of Sasha's head, her brown hair, her ponytail, she must have come from a village scarce with supplies and having limited contact with the larger Districts. She was beginning to make sense, the more the thought of her actions for that perspective. Though, looking over at Mikasa, he had no guess to where she was from, like Ymir, and, thinking of it now, nor did he know where Annie came from. Where had she grown up to learn to fight like that? And, how many of the other trainees would he meet in his full three years here? How many of them would even get through their first?

Gazing up into the tall trees of the forest, he tried to see the sky beyond them, catching patches of grey here and there. Droplets fell on him. Having rained earlier, it had calmed down to a drizzle, and he welcomed any of it he could get. After those insufferable days of heat those first few months, having the chance to cool off was much appreciated. He wondered if Lex and Ines had shared similar experiences to his own, and hoped that his oldest sister was alright.

Well, looking forward again, whatever these three years would throw at him to prepare him for what was to come in the future, he vowed that he would join the Scouting Legion himself and meet up with her one day. He had made that unspoken promise with his mother, and he wasn't about to abandon it yet. No matter if he had to face Titans or something worse — if there even was such a thing — he was ready and resolved to see it through to the end.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A / N (8 - 04 - 17): I haven't been proofreading these later chapters in an effort to get them out faster, and past the Trainee Arc. Once I've gotten through the Battle for Trost Arc, then I will go back and edit all chapters thoroughly before moving forward.

_To: Scouting Legion Commander Erwin Smith_

_From: Scouting Legion Special Investigations Squad Captain Ines Brandt_

_Subject: Recruitment of prison inmates_

_We have just finished accessing the new recruits from the prisons within both Wall Rose and Sheena, excluding those with life or death sentences held deep within the confines of the Interior of which both Military Police Brigade Commander Nile and Supreme Commander Zackly have finally given us permission to pull from that pool. Out of the thirty volunteers from the regular prisons, only ten were deemed fit for active duties with the military. These ten have been sent off with a Military Police escort, along with one of our own, Zena Bartosz. They should arrive at Trost by the time this letter reaches Scouting Legion Headquarters. Of those inmates yet to be evaluated, given the turnout from those within the regular prisons, a rational fear of the Titans may see to it that none volunteer. In that event, Supreme Commander Zackly has granted us direct authority to conscript. No further letters will be sent until we have completed this last assessment._

Writing utensil in hand, still poised over her latest report, Ines thought of adding more about the conditions of those ten men and women successfully cleared to join the ranks of the Scouting Legion, but, knowing the Commander, it wasn't necessary that she do so, and instead re-read it. Correcting what needed to be, she then folded and sealed the contents and handed it off to courier waiting at her side, taking note that Riecka was still loitering inside the office against the wall.

"You're supposed to be with Alger  _outside_ ," she chided.

Riecka shrugged. "I got bored waiting."

Ines sighed. When they got back, she was going to a word with Moblit. "They've given us free roam of the Interior for our stay, and you're telling me you're  _bored_?" Since first arriving in the Royal Capital, the woman had done nothing, but, run around in the Underground like a child at a District festival — that was the least issue Ines would've thought her having. "You?"

Another shrug. "There are only so many caged fights you can watch until they eventually lose their charm."

She scoffed. Caged fights, the name given to those brutal, barbaric paid competition brawls in the Underground, where no rules were given except one: the killing of your opponent was forbidden. Whether Riecka, who was  _still_  leaning so non-nonchalantly in front of her, had actually spent money to see one, or used her Gear to her advantage — the use of which inside the Interior was strictly prohibited — Ines didn't want to know.

The last, and only, time she had been there was that day then Squad Leader Erwin had made that first gamble of his own accord: the apprehension and conscription of an infamous trio of troublemakers. How could she forget it? After all, not long after, two of them were dead, leaving the sole survivor — and arguably the most valuable one of the three — Special Operations Squad Captain Levi, to join their ranks. Back then, if it'd been her holding his head in that puddle of watery filth instead of Mike, she'd have held him under till he drowned.

But, she had to chase after the loud-mouthed brat and drag her kicking and screaming to the Squad Leader. The loud-mouthed brat whose head had been the only thing left of that arrogant and clingy personality of hers. Yet, despite her nature, Ines felt the girl would've become a much better asset than the one she clung to, if only she hadn't been severed from it forever. The other man, as well. While he was just as distrusting as his leader, at least he had the sense to know when to give in.

Not that any of that mattered anymore.

She was vividly reminded of Erwin as he strode over to her atop his horse, his hand bloodied, having stopped Levi's blade with his palm, showing himself to be unafraid of idle threats. That, even if the intent to kill had been real, he wouldn't die no matter what. No until his goals were secure and he could be certain that, even after he'd meet his end, they'd be carried out in his absence.

That was what mattered. It was  _all_  that mattered, to him.

And, she knew, that if he ordered her to fight alongside these inmates in the near future, she'd have one blade aimed at the nape of their neck along with the Titans'.  _Along_  with Levi's. Soon, she became lost in the memory of it all, her one good hand curling into a fist on the desk Commander Nile had gotten for her.

_"Ines, we're regrouping with Commander Shadis and the main detachment. Secure any non water-ridden supplies that you can carry."_

_"Yes, sir."_

She had taken one final look at those two at her feet before moving on to find something worth salvaging from the carnage. Her search had lead her to the Squad Leader assigned to watch over them and Levi, his headless, half-eaten corpse near the Titan that killed him — one of five that Levi had managed to dispatch by himself.

Flagon had always been somewhat of a fool, barking in situations when he should've sat down like the dog he was and stayed quiet. That subordinate of his, as well — Sairam — making outbursts without regard for those he shouted at. Both of them had been more of a nuisance than anything else, but, if there was one thing she and Flagon had agreed on, it was being against Erwin's gamble to allow three thugs into their ranks and, if there was one thing she'd been grateful for, it'd been those still usable flares he was extra paranoid to always keep doubly wrapped inside his uniform. At the least, he'd known how to prepare for potential technicalities that may arise on any given expedition outside the Walls.

Expeditions that were now at a standstill, and there was no telling when they would be started again. If ever again.

She'd seen no sign of either of their horses, or those of Levi's two companions, the only explanation being all of them had run away and were aimlessly wandering around in the fog. With that, she had saddled her own horse and reported back of her findings.

_"Very well. Fall in behind Levi and make sure he's keeping up with Mike and I. If he were to suddenly change his mind, then all of these deaths would be for nothing."_

_"And if he does, sir?"_

_"He won't," Erwin said, so sure in his belief of the man's obedience._

And, nails digging into the palm of her hand, if hope were actually something she believed in she'd have wanted to believe it , she went behind the man with every intention of running him down if he so much as slowed to contemplate. Blood began to seep through the cracks between her fingers. There was no time anymore for sentimental regrets.

Having watched him then — head dipping toward his hands, hands loosely holding the reins of his horse, horse keeping pace with the Squad Leader — she had almost thought there wouldn't be a need to monitor him, until his horse started to slow and his head raised, looking back at the remains of the battlefield where his two companions lay. Where the fool she'd taken the flares from and his subordinate rested. Where their long since decomposed corpses still remained. But, she remembered, as she was about to chide him to get a move on, Levi simply turned his head back to the front and sped up, once again keeping pace with the Squad Leader. Right after, a black signal flare soared, telling the formation of an approaching Abnormal, the most unpredictable type.

The sound of it deadened by the rain, she had it considered unnecessary as, if any Titans had been nearby, they were just as blind as they were at close proximity on account of the fog, yet that didn't mean their noses and ears were plugged as well. Same applied to them, but she wouldn't have relied on their senses, no matter how attuned, which was why she had such a hard time accepting Levi. Why she couldn't accept him, as his first words to her on that dreary, bloody day came back to her ears over the rain peppering her raincoat, his expression unreadable.

_"Their footprints in the soil. That was how I knew..."_

_"There won't always be footprints."_

_"I know," he replied, turning back around. "Which is why when I hear so much as one retarded grunt from any direction and it isn't human, I'll kill it."_

"Uh, hey... Captain..."

_"Except I'd have to go with you, and in this fog, we may lose sight of Squad Leader Erwin and Mike. I can't allow that to happen."_

_"I figured that you wouldn't... Sometimes, it'll happen whether you want it to or not."_

At the time, it seemed as if he were speaking to her, but, she knew now it was only to reassure himself of something. Of some notion on his part.

_"The outcome is never clear, whichever path you take. Neither decision is ever the right choice..."_

She had let him continue, getting out all that he wanted to say before offering a response.

_"The reason people die is a result of their own actions and of those around them. If their actions are sound, and those around them secure, then their chance of survival is all the more heightened. If their actions are foolhardy, and those around them foolish, then their death is all the more an inevitability."_

"... Captain..."

_"So the decision matters, in the end. Is that really... all there is to it...?"_

When she didn't respond, he sighed and went back to staring at Mike's backside as he should, and gazing into that fog all around them, she'd wondered why she'd done so in the first place.

Perhaps it was because she felt a bit of sympathy, for regardless of how she felt about him, he'd still lost the two most closest to him. Or, perhaps, she had wanted to see what he would do. Whatever the case, that one time would be the first and last she'd ever willingly interact with the man. As, after all, while he may be what the Squad Leader had gambled on, she wasn't going to take in the earnings with welcoming arms. At least not unt —

" _Captain!_ " Abruptly, Riecka tore her from her inner thoughts, and she looked up at the woman, scowling.

"What?"

"Uh... Your hand..." Riecka pointed a crooked finger at it.

Blood was dripping onto the desk.

 

"Damn, Captain! I didn't know you could get that worked up from writing a report!" Riecka exclaimed as they came upon the first row of cells beneath the Capital's main prison where they kept those inmates sentenced to death and life imprisonment.

Ines ignored the comment. Other than her broken right arm, now her left hand was bandaged, and looking into each cell for any potential volunteers — cutthroats and murderers too dangerous to ever be redeemable, locked in single cells where the only light they received were the sconces outside them — many were cowering in the darkest corners of their cells, no doubt having seen the insignia on her uniform as they passed. The Wings of Freedom, signature symbol of the Scouting Legion, and what meant an inevitable death at the hands of the Titans. She had been correct, even those on death and life sentences were reluctant to face the greatest threat to humanity. To give their lives for a brighter future. They would rather live their final days in fear. Without having faced the fear all of them did, and the further she went, the more it appeared none would volunteer.

"Captain, it might be better this way," Alger spoke up, as they stopped before one cell in particular where a man with wild eyes glared back at them.

Despite his appearance, he wasn't cowering like the rest and appeared sane, but, when she approached the steel bars, he tried to lunge for her, snarling about something only the mentally deranged would — absolute gibberish. His hands couldn't quite reach her throat.

"We haven't gotten to the worst of them, yet," she replied, staring down the deranged man until he muttered something, his hands moving back behind the bars as he stalked off, deeper into the confines of his cell.

"Maybe he likes it in there," Riecka remarked, chuckling a bit.

Lingering there for a moment more, Ines felt something well inside her chest that she hadn't in a long time, before snuffing it out and moving on again. "If you keep it up, maybe I'll have them throw  _you_  in there with him," she said, meeting Riecka's playful grin with cold, hard truth. The woman was grating on her that much today.

Riecka took the threat in stride. "Hey, at least the food's better in the Capital!"

Alger placed himself between them. "What could be worse than these guys...?" he asked, glancing into the cells she didn't bother to look into anymore.

Coming upon the end of the row, Ines came before a cell where no light reached. No torches, only darkness, to keep them company. Only the sins of their fathers and mothers, theirs ancestors, of themselves, to show them compassion. Those men and women more evil than the rest — traitors to the King and saboteurs of humanity. Even those who had no business being here, except for the fact that they made something, said something, did something, that went against the King. Even something so harmless as...

Ines buried the thought, asking Alger to light a torch. When he did, staring back at them from the other side of the bars was a man with the look of a young boy, his unkempt dark brown hair well reaching past his shoulders, and squinted, harsh green eyes judging them silently. Once, he might have been well-fed, well-dressed, and well-groomed, but, now — lanky, grime-covered, and unshaven though his beard hadn't even grown past his chin and perhaps never would — he appeared nothing at all like the sketch Commander Erwin had sent her.

"Mathias Kramer, formerly of Krolva District, a survivor of the Fall of Wall Maria in the Quinta District..."

One of a handful who managed to survive the journey from Quinta back to Krolva with the Titans on their heels, and, who, for those six months of being trapped within Quinta by the Titans, left abandoned as the rest of humanity retreated behind Wall Rose, was an accomplice by association of Rita Iglehaut. Officially, none of the residents of Quinta were said to be alive, but, obviously, the fact that this man was here meant that report had been false.

Or, more accurately, falsified.

Was this man the one Erwin had told her about, to choose as the last member of her squad...? "Mathias Kramer, I am Captain Ines of the Scouting Legion. I have come to ask if you would join us in the fight against the Titans." He didn't respond. Ordering Alger to take out the mandate approved by Supreme Commander Zackly, Ines tried again. "I don't want to use this," she began, having Alger hold it up for him to see. "But, I will, if you so choose not. The decision, in the end, is yours. Come willingly, or not." Still, there was no response. Not even a hint of acknowledgement.

"He doesn't look too happy," Riecka said.

"Neither does your friend."

At that, they all turned to the cell opposite. Within it, sitting with one hand resting on her knee against the wall was a woman with short, black hair, and tapered, cat-like eyes. They glinted grey in the torchlight.

"And you are...?"

The woman stood up, dusting herself off and coming to the bars of her cell. "Name's Amanda. Garrison, Quinta District. Or I used to be, anyway. Now I'm in here, stuck with chicken-shits like him all day."

One of Rita's subordinates. Her former second-in-command. In the sketch, her hair was longer. Could she be the one? Ines went over to her cell, but, before she got the chance to speak the other woman did first.

"I accept." The words Ines to stopped in her tracks, and Amanda noticed the skepticism on her face. "If it gets me away from him, this place, and everything about either, then lead the way," she said, almost dispassionately.

Her eyes narrowed. "Alger, go find Nile. Get the key to unlock her cell."

Was she another, like Levi, that the Commander had gambled on? Her strength? Or... something else...?

 

Upon leaving the underbelly of the Capital prison, Ines sat with Commander Nile in his office at Military Police Headquarters, waiting for him to write off on Amanda's release. He waited for few moments, then did so, and ran a hand through his cropped, dark hair, rapping his fingers on his desk.

"I don't know what's going on in that man's head, even after all these years," he said, handing her a copy of the release form. "And I suspect that you truly don't, either, Ines."

"None of us do," she replied, taking it.

As she got up to take her leave, about to open the door, Nile called out to her. "You know, if only you'd joined the Military Police, maybe then..." His voice trailed off, and he went quiet.

She looked back, said nothing, and gave a salute. He gave one back, smiling regretfully, and had the Military Police member guarding the door open it for her.

Now outside, walking down the open hallway yard of Military Police Headquarters, Ines needed to round up the members of her squad and write her last report to Commander Erwin. Pausing to glance at the fountain in the center of the courtyard, and the flower garden neatly trimmed and professionally maintained around it, she had left her journal back at Scouting Legion Headquarters. She had half a mind to go over and pluck one, but, decided against it — there were more pressing matters to attend to — and was about to continue on when she came face to face with a tall man in a long, black trench-coat.

Though brief, the two of them parting ways shortly after, and his features largely shadowed by the hat he wore despite how sunny it was, she could feel something sinister lurking underneath that suave, yet crude, smirk behind the greying thin stubble of his beard as he passed her by. While many questionable and shady individuals had came and went from the Military Police Headquarters in she and her squad's stay here, none of them were quite as... malevolent... as that.

And, when she glanced back, Ines made an extra note that he was heading in the direction of Commander Nile's office.

_No, it couldn't have been..._

That feeling welled in her chest again, and she suppressed it, again.

"That man, died a long time ago," she reassured herself.

Then, she turned back around, and went to find Alger, Riecka, and officially greet the newest, final addition to the Special Investigations Squad.


	11. Chapter 11

In addition to the mandatory lectures and training exercises afterwards they had to participate in to earn points toward their overall scoring for their Vertical Maneuvering Gear training, in-between each core lesson was a 'winding down' period. That was to say, other than going straight back to 'simpler' exercises like seeing how long it took someone to croak by running vast fucking distances in the sweltering heat — that bald bastard hadn't taken another canteen away from her, yet — or being reminded how bad of a shot you were in firearms training or archery — except Bertolt, for whatever reason, and, Sasha, because apparently it's all she's good at besides making an entire plate of food disappear — if someone were  _really_  determined to earn them they could volunteer for the opportunity to gain extra consideration by doing menial tasks around the camp.

Or, fanning herself, standing by the well closest to her dorm and tapping her foot as she waited for Achi to finish up with the task she had chosen for the day and get together with her and Krista already, as she referred to it:  _kissing Shadis's ass._

They made it seem like doing them would affect your score in the long run, but, really, it was just a way to get them to do the stuff nobody bothered with unless they were forced to. Mostly the nasty ones like cleaning out the latrines or shoveling horse shit. Though, there were less disgusting ones like helping in the messhall in either preparing or serving food, or cleaning up afterwards, and those with a bit more weight behind them — the ones Achi commonly chose to do when the chance presented itself — such as staying close to the wagons and carriages which brought supplies to and from the camp to prevent the loss of resources by wild animals, bandits, random bumps in the road, and even — thanks to idiots like Sasha — the members of the military.

Looking down at Krista crouched beside her, she had thought for sure the girl was going to take part in such an unmissable opportunity too, but, here she was, soaking up the sun with that sad look on her face that nobody else seemed to notice nor she herself was aware she made when she thought nobody was watching her.

Ymir spat. Clutching at her forearm, digging into her skin, it was so… so…  _irritating_. Digging deeper into her skin, she ignored the pain, thinking of it again. That necklace. It had been so vivid, so… so —

"She's late," Krista said. That haunted expression was gone, replaced by an even more annoying one of concern. A false one, faker than even that fucking trinket. "I'm worried. You don't think something ha—"

She huffed, averting her eyes just enough to not see the entirety of her face. Otherwise she'd punch it. "Achi can handle herself."

Krista looked down. "T… That's true, but…" Her brow furrowed. When she looked back up, her eyes, they were lit in anger. "The least you could do is show a little concern! She's our friend, isn't she?!"

Ymir clicked her tongue. There she went off, again. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, Achi isn't you. She's not  _helpless_  like you are."

The blonde-haired midget sprang to her feet. "Wha—?! I'm not helpless! I—!" Only to get flicked in the forehead. "Ow! What was that for, Ymir?!"

"Even Sasha here is better than you," she replied, pointing at the Potato Girl who was coming over with a bucket.

"Huh? What? What's going on?" Sasha said. She froze in front of them, looking like a frightened rabbit, about to bolt any second, and proceeded to put the bucket over her head. "Why are you staring at me like that?!"

Even though she said that, looking at her as she cowered pathetically like that, both Sasha and this girl who was now glowing in her anger had the same problem: not being who they really are. Afraid to show the world, they each hid behind something or other. That was what frustrated her the most — cowards who didn't let their true selves show. For the idiot with the bucket over her head, it was the way she talked. The other one, how she acted.

It really ticked her off, and she was going to put a change to that, right now.

"Yeah, but even if she's more capable than you, she's still an idiot." Ymir knocked the bucket off Sasha's head and leaned in. "It's really starting to get on my nerves."

Sasha leaned back. "P-pardon?"

"That overly polite way you talk. Why do you keep it up, even around us?"

The girl looked away, jaw slacked, eyes downcast. "Well, erm, you see, a-about that…"

She smirked. "Wait, let me guess. Back where you grew up, you must be ashamed of the way they talk?" The girl's jaw snapped shut. "Bullseye. You know, you're pretty sensitive… for a  _dumbass._ "

"That's enough!" Krista exclaimed, trying to get between them, but Ymir just pushed her back.

"So, all you know is how to hunt and shoot a bow, and you're afraid of society, right? You probably don't have much of a reason to become a soldier, either!" Glaring down at Krista, recalling how diligently she soaked up everything the instructors told in their lectures, and pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion in every exercise after, she was going to give this other stupid girl a piece of her mind, too. "Are you gonna spend the rest of your life playing a  _character_ because you're worried about what others think of you?! That's so pathetic! Isn't it okay, just being yourself?!"

Krista shrunk and began to shake. Satisfied that it seemed to have a noticeable effect, Ymir then went back to Sasha.

"Uh… erm… I…"

"Hm? I can't hear you! Come on, talk to me in your own words! Drop the act, dammit!"

Sasha bowed her head. "I… thank you… very much, but, ah…"

Before she could launch into her again, Ymir felt something ram her from behind, and looked back. Krista had smashed her head as hard as she could into her backside, and was now holding it in the aftermath. Stupid girl — it was sure to leave a bump.

"Y… Ymir…" she strained to say through clenched teeth, eyes watering, furious. "Knock it… off! Sasha! You shouldn't change the way you speak just because someone tells you to!" Going up to the Potato Girl, Krista stood in front of her, as if doing so would help defend her from further onslaught. "She's the one who's lived her life! She's already speaking in her own words, and, you know what? I like that about her!"

Rubbing her back, Ymir grumbled. More than Sasha, this girl was… "Tch." Too stubborn for her own good. Her hand sliding to the nape of her neck, she scratched it.  _Dammit._  She looked at Sasha. "Well, I guess even if you did change the way you talk, it wouldn't stop you from being annoying."

"Ymir!" Krista grabbed her arm, gripping it surprisingly hard for someone of her mass, startling her for a split second. "Not everyone's as thick-headed as you, you know!"

She tore it free. "Hah? What the fuck's that supposed to mean? You trying to start something?" Despite herself, she found herself flustered. Sasha started laughing, then, and Ymir shot knives at her. "And what're you laughing at, hah?"

That shut her up immediately. "Oh… Sorry… Excuse me…"

Krista called her out again, fists balled. "I wasn't going to do anything! And don't threaten people like that! Between bullying Fritz and constantly hounding Sasha, the least you could do is help them in more positive ways! So, when are you going to start?!"

"Hah?" Ymir ran a hand through her hair and flicked something from her fingers. "I don't know yet, but what I do know is that he pisses me off just as much Potato Girl here. And you."

And, despite Krista's anger, curiosity got the better of her. "What do you mean?"

Ymir crossed her arms. "Can't say."

"Ymir! If you're thinking of bullying him more, then—!"

She looked to the side. "I dunno. There's just something… odd… about him.  _Besides_  his status as a fucking moron."

"Odd?" Krista suddenly giggled. "Well, that certainly fits him to a T."

She sighed. Ah, what was it? "Well, whatever. I don't care anymore!" She stomped off, brooding. What was it, that this girl reminded her of?! That sent her off so much?!

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"To find Achi!"

"W-wait! Let me g—"

But, she was already out of sight, disappearing into one of the buildings farther away. She plopped down on the floor, propping herself against the wall. Just what had she been thinking, getting involved with that stupid girl? She slammed a fist into the wall, remembering being chased by that fatass's goons again. How they had cornered her the first time, and how she had managed to escape, breaking the leader's nose. His screaming at the others for them to kill her as he bled, doubled over, the cartilage of his nose twisted at an unnatural angle as he tried moving it back into place, only to sneeze out more blood. Her slipping underneath them, running into a crowded street, searching for any viable hiding place, anything at all, until chancing upon another church not unlike from before then, bolting through its doors and diving under one of the windows. Waiting.

And, as she had, looked around its interior.

Bigger and more extravagant than the previous one, the only thing she remembered about it was that lone statue of one of those monsters: a Titan. Ominous in appearance, it had a disproportional body, black eyes, and large, sharp teeth. A mockery of human anatomy. Taller than the tallest man. A church with a Titan as the centerpiece.

She felt herself about to gag.

That Titan… it had looked… just like… No, she wasn't that. She wasn't like that anymore. Whatever it had been, wasn't her. Swallowing it down, it was complete and utter bullshit.

"Bunch of lunatics," she said to herself, recalling the event that followed. The event that ultimately sealed her decision to join the military.

While broodingly condemning those ugly paintings that had been on the ceiling, the doors to the church had creaked open and she huddled behind the podium, partially out of instinct. Partially out of habit. In her mad dash to shake off those goons, she had dropped her guard and forgotten the possibility of others coming in and, hearing footsteps, held her breath.

_"But, she's been born out of the wedlock! She can't possibly be the heiress because of that! A bastard child!" a man huffed, his voice tight and hushed, the matter he was discussing no doubt a secret affair. "The family isn't going to accept her as—!"_

_"There's nothing we can do about it. We can only hope that this is somehow overlooked," another man retorted, easily the calmer of the two._

_"But, it can't be unless she were killed! Maybe they should have killed her as soon as she was born so this whole fiasco didn't evolve in the first place!"_

_"No, that would've been too rash. She is a blood relative, after all. Simply killing her isn't the way to go about it. Driving her out worked in our favor and... for her sake as well..." The calmer man sighed and started to walk back to the entrance. "Come, we'll discuss this further in my chambers and away from any prying eyes that may overhear us in public."_

Politics and family feuds — neither of which she wanted to be a part of, but, despite that, something compelled her to see what the fuss was all about. If nothing else, to see the outcome, thinking that she could use it to her advantage.

… Or had she?

Wanting to change, wanting to be different from the monster she had been — she doubted for a second if she couldn't in fact shake off that side of herself, then freed her mind of the thought and looked down at her hands.

No, she wouldn't go back to the way she'd been. She'd just be a different Ymir altogether, one who would live only for herself and nobody else. That was what she had told herself back then, what she told herself until now, and what she would continue to tell herself, forever.

And, thinking of that stupid girl, she was going to make her see that logic, too. Even if she had to beat it into her.

 

_Protect it. Keep it safe. Never let it falter from your gaze._

The streets were packed, and everyone wore bright colors. Expensive apparel and jewelry. It made her sick. They were the same people as back then, there was no difference between the times except the number of people.

They were still afraid. Afraid to birth more children, afraid to train them into soldiers, afraid to watch them die.

No, it was even more shallow than that.

Why should they be the ones churning out food to the lion's den instead of the lower classes? Why should they be the ones to sacrifice themselves? It wasn't their problem, what went on outside. There was still one defense keeping the Titans at bay so their comfortable lives never became uncomfortable, so why bother? That whole way of thinking pissed her off something fierce as she'd dragged her feet the whole time, trying to survive...

_Protect it._

There was a flash of red and she looked up, but, nothing was there.

_Keep it safe._

She was seeing things and went back to her musings.

_Never let it falter from your gaze._

Another flash. She sat up. Her hands were shaking. Suddenly, without warning, she was on her hands and knees and gagging onto the wooden floor.

More flashes of red. Intensive, excruciating, flashes of pain.

Vomiting, she fell on her side and felt something wet. Blood. The flashes of red. Pain. A memory.

_"Ymir."_

She was lying on a bed with bandages wrapped around her head and chest. There was a light coming from somewhere beside her. Her vision was blurry. Dark green eyes — a girl looking down at her with a furrowed brow, and as she tried to rise, pushing her back down again.

_"Don't try and move. You took a beating again."_ The girl flashed her teeth, like needles of the blade of a saw.  _"You've got a fire inside of you."_ Taking a wet cloth, the girl put it on her forehead.  _"Besides the fever."_ A smile. Caring and friendly, like that of a mother's love.  _"I've only seen it a few times before. The first was a boy at the time, around the same age as you are now. He was always crying. An annoying little brat, but, he never backed down."_ She looked away to wherever the light was coming from with a devilish grin, bloodthirsty and cruel.  _"The little bastard."_

She coughed, spat up blood, and squirmed as the girl held her down. Her skin felt as if it were boiling and she wanted to cry out from the pain.

_"Don't move, I said."_ The girl leaned down to touch her face.  _"It'll be over sooner than you think, just bear with the pain."_ A necklace swayed from her neck.

She focused on it, how plain it looked, eyes watery.

The girl's voice was becoming distant and she couldn't hear her anymore, only focused on coping with the burning sensations, focusing only on the necklace, and, eventually, she drifted back to sleep, the girl talking as soothingly as she could the whole time.

 

Ymir bolted upright. She felt around her face.

Nothing.

She waved her hand.

Nothing.

No flashes of red. No blood.

"What was that?" Her hands... They were no longer shaking, and she looked over at the blood that was now slowly evaporating on floor. She laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. "How long was I...?" She shook her head again and cursed. "Whatever, I'm still here..." She wasn't dead. Even so, she looked at her hands once again…

That face, caring and kind.

That same face, bloodthirsty and cruel.

The necklace...

" _Who_..." — an image of Krista flashed through her mind then — "... was that?"

Well, getting back to her feet, she wasn't going to die anytime soon, either, and stepped out into the sun to wait for Achi's return. They still had more to go over regarding her shit writing.


	12. Chapter 12

When she was younger, Achi Almen had loved her village, nestled by a mountain on the edges of Wall Maria. From its thatch roofed houses, two stories high and made of timber harvested from the nearby forest, that offered protection from the harsh cold in the wintertime, to the wooden walls that surrounded and enclosed them in a circle and kept them safe, it had taken many generations to build and wasn't too empty nor too crowded and everyone had a duty to see that it stayed that way.

For her family, this had been watching over and tending to the livestock, and it was her duty to not let them wander outside their pens for more than a few times per day, where they were at risk from being attacked by those wild creatures that prowled the forest and neighboring countryside. Wolves, her father had said they were called — large, fierce, sharp-teethed, and sharp-clawed animals that would show no mercy to those not paying attention to their duty, were especially a threat. Countless livestock had went missing because of them, and it took a sharp eye and deft hand to make sure that anymore of them weren't taken.

It had been difficult work, and, as she grew older, hated. Though, now, many miles away from home, walking alongside a carriage bringing fresh supplies to camp, she couldn't have been more grateful and as the carriage came into camp, she split away from it now that it was safe, to be greeted by Ymir — the person she was most grateful toward now.

"Hey, kid," Ymir said, hands on her hips. "Took you long enough."

Achi shrugged. "I miss anything?"

Ymir scratched a cheek. "Nothing much…"

She looked around. "Where's Krista?"

The taller girl scoffed. "Dunno." She changed subjects. "You coming or what? Or you just gonna stand there all day?"

"Shut up," she replied, following after her.

Time passed as they went.

Ymir spoke again as they were coming upon their dorm. "I need you to help me with..." — she coughed — "You know what..."

"So, what did you fail this time?"

Ymir scowled. "Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Nothing? Last time, I remember you could barely read the first question... Are you telling me you couldn't read any of them this time?"

"Hah... Very funny..." Ymir said. "Ah. Just forget it."

Achi shrugged. "Whatever you say."

 

_"Hang on!" the woman shouted._

_They shot up the wall, flying at a speed so fast Achi didn't have time to think of what just happened until she was already turning back around. Hands over the edge of Wall Sheena, she had gazed out to the black smoke rising to the sky underneath the evening sun in the far distance. Crying, she reached out, and stumbled, nearly falling to her death, only to be caught by a heavy hand._

_It went swiftly across her cheek, stringing red. "Do you want to die?!" Her vision blurred by the blow, hearing deadened as the woman shouted at her, Achi felt herself losing consciousness._

_"Hey!" the woman shouted again, shaking her, "Hey! Stay awake! Hey!"_

_The last thing Achi saw as she fell was the necklace around the woman's neck as her hazy form waved about frantically to somewhere else, and, as she hit the ground, the last thing heard was the sound of the gate being hoisted by mechanisms too complex for her mind to comprehend._

That night, taking the necklace from its hiding place, Achi stared at the image of whatever animal was depicted on it, still unable to figure out what it was, and fell back on her pillow.

Hearing Ymir tossing and turning in the bunk above her, Achi recalled the first day she had met her. Cradling Krista in her arms like she were a sack of potatoes, and dropping her in similar fashion when the two reached the recruitment center where she'd already filled out her sheet after arguing with the recruiter there that, yes, she was in fact old enough to join — which was, in fact, a lie — Ymir had seen right through her from the beginning. The horror behind her eyes that she tried so hard to hide, and let run down her cheeks when she thought nobody was looking which the taller had let known one night, and ever since, never spoke a word of it, but, yet, kept others away when it came out. Stayed by her side, watching over her until it stopped.

Hands folded on her chest, grasping her necklace for comfort, Achi didn't know why Ymir was doing it, but, whatever the reason behind it, she had to repay her someday. Holding up her necklace, the soldier who'd given her this, too. Her mother and father, also. The old man. Isolde. So many people, except one. The one who kept trying to cheer her up. Who always kept that smile upon her face regardless of the situation or circumstance. Who made her uneasy. Sick to her stomach, that such an unnaturally happy person could exist.

Even Mina wasn't like that all the time, believe it or not, and, the next day, listening to Ymir talk about how much Sasha annoyed her as they ate, right now, that someone was the only thing on her mind as she tried to block her from her thoughts time and again since it happened, yet, failed every single time. Feeling her eyes begin to water, she wanted to concentrate on eating, but, could only muster up enough to take one measly bite of her biscuit before giving up.

"Achi? What's wrong?" Krista asked.

"Nothing." She got up from the table. "I'm getting some fresh air." On her way out, she heard one of them get up from the table, as well. Glancing back, of course it was Krista. "Alone."

Outside now, she stared into the fire of the sconces on one of the buildings and sat down. She just couldn't keep it away. Gritting her teeth as her nostrils flared and she swallowed, fighting hard not to throw up, the image of it — her mother's body, splattered across their kitchen table, her insides hanging over the side of it like tangled red rope against the backdrop of that humongous hole in their kitchen wall, smashed through by some monster's giant fist — was always there. And, those houses and walls she had loved so much, that she once felt so safe inside, in ruins, as those monsters attacked the village.

She started to cry again. She grimaced, clenching her teeth as she tried to bite back her tears. "Dammit."

After spending the previous night going over what Ymir didn't understand on the latest material in their lectures and so many other nights spent together helping her improve her reading and now her writing, Achi was glad to call Ymir a friend. Having a friend was what her mother had told her was one of the most precious things a person could have in the whole world, and, she was the only thing that kept the memory of that morning at bay as she slowly edged out of her hiding place in her family's kitchen closet, remembering it again — the morning hell had come knocking on their door.

She could still see the one that snatched and hoisted her mother into the air, playing with her and jostling her around like one of the dolls in her room. Only her mother hadn't been a doll, and when she'd struggled to grab hold of something so she wasn't thrashed around like one, the strain pulled her apart. She could still the hear the snapping and the tearing, as her mother screamed in agony, and the thud, as it dropped her, like a uninterested child.

That was when her father had told her to hide as he got the monster's attention and led it away. To make a dash for the far edge of the village as soon as he had. He trusted her to do it, and trust was one of the most valuable things in the whole world.

Their family's golden rule.

Her mother would have told her the exact same thing.

Hot, stinging tears running down her face, Achi didn't want to see any of it anymore. She didn't want to see all those people getting eaten like her mother. Didn't want to see their anguished faces or hear their tormented cries. She wanted to wake up from the nightmare. It was all just a horrible dream and everything would be alright when she opened them again, but, before she realized, Achi was staring at the body of her mother again. The only thing she saw was the blood and spit coming from her mother's mouth — gurgling up from her throat, pooling behind her head, and spilling all over the floor and she shut her eyes.

When she opened them, she couldn't take anymore. All the pain, all the sadness, all the hurt — it was eating away at her no matter how much she tried to deny or bury it. But, she wasn't going to cry again, she wasn't going to — Sucking snot back up her nose and rubbing her eyes, she wasn't going to cry anymore!

"A... Achi...?"

Wiping her nose with her elbow, she heard Krista come up behind her.

Ever since Isolde had encouraged her to go after the girl, that the two of them could help one another in their struggles, all she could remember was the day before, when the other girl had just up and vanished without even so much as a goodbye. Without trust in the people who took her in, to keep her safe...

Glancing back, like a doll to be thrashed around and eaten by the horrors of the world, helpless to stop it, Krista just stood there with that expression on her face. It was unsettling, how blank it was. Then, as if remembering where she was, it lit up, becoming more animated. That smile.

That fake smile like a mask stretched across her face similar to a Titan's — only disturbingly pathetic and twice as infuriating. That always reminded that the world was cruel.

"Is everything...?"

And in that moment, Achi  _hated_  her.

Standing up, without a word, she shouldered past her and went back inside. Sitting down at the table again, and looking at her biscuit, she knew what to feel to keep those images away as she reached for one. It rose from the depths of her battered and beaten heart as she took another bite.

She remembered that monster. That Titan. The one who'd eaten her mother and, shoving the rest in her mouth, chewing vigorously and swallowing hard, washing it down with a large gulp water, she knew what it was...

"Hey, Achi, you shouldn't…"

"Leave her be."

It was  _anger_.

Anger, at herself, for not being strong enough. Anger, at the blonde-haired girl seated directly across from her, for always reminding her of it. Anger, at the Titans. Those monsters who took everything from her, and, she vowed, never would again.

 

Several days later, still in between lessons, they were out in approach to one of the giant forests dotted throughout the territory within Wall Rose commonly used for their practice with the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment for a new exercise.

Splitting into two groups and coming from opposite directions, they were supposed to be making a round trip to a destination the Chief Instructor had chosen while recording their progress along the way, set within a given period of time. Once at the destination, they were to exchange information and return via the other group's assigned route.

Officially, it was to evaluate the trainees' ability to keep themselves occupied and alert when there was nothing exciting going on. Unofficially, to Achi, it was all a load of crap. Whichever group made it the fastest there and back would be rewarded with a point in their favor toward their individual scoring for the top ten — and why it pissed her off so much.

All that work she'd been doing for months meant nothing if everyone was going to get a pat on the back anyway. Which was why when her group had pushed themselves so hard to get there — having already exhausted themselves not even a third of the way — she was thankful that Eren was such a suicidal bastard. He had rushed on ahead, forcing the rest to catch up, and they were now camped for the night indefinitely.

Under torchlight, while Marco and Armin, the group leader and record keeper respectively, were going over their next course of action, Achi took it upon herself to shorten Sasha's food rations because the Potato Girl was obviously too well overstocked. Hefting a bag of uncooked vegetables, she went to the small firepit they had built and began heating one of them up skewered on a stick.

Krista, who had been gazing up at the stars until that point, called her out. "Achi, that's stealing, you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

Krista came closer then, watching her rotate her chosen vegetable, which was surprisingly not a potato, and attempted to scold her further. "That's Sasha's, not yours."

"And how would you know that?"

"I…" She went quiet all of a sudden.

Somewhere else, Achi heard someone complaining about the lack of food — probably Jean — and another person tell them off — most definitely Eren — and held her stick to the moonlight. "So?"

"I… I helped her pack it..." Krista said softly, barely audible.

"So… then… that makes it yours too, right?"

"H-huh?"

"Take it." She handed it to the other girl, took out another one, and began roasting it, too. When it was done, she blew on it and let it cool, then took a bite. Looking over at Krista, she was eerily reminded of her mother in that Titan's hand.

"I get what you're saying, but, that still doesn't make it right to just—"

"And what about you? Why did you help her pack it in the first place if you weren't going to take any of it for yourself," — well, knowing that bottomless pit of a girl, maybe she thought she wouldn't get the chance, but — "Were you trying to do something generous for her again?"

"I-I…"

Achi loathed that side of her. "Why? What has Potato Girl ever done for you?"

She didn't respond, eyes on the ground.

The side that she hid from the world. "Ymir was right. You really are helpless."

With that said, she continued eating her vegetable.

Even back during their time together with Isolde, Krista had always given her the impression of someone greater than she humbled herself as. Like a goddess fallen to earth, forced to wallow in the shit and piss of lesser men, but, keeping her real thoughts tight-lipped while she tried to be something that she wasn't, to the people around her.

Something, someone, that she couldn't be.

When the sun came up and they were starting on their journey again, Achi paid her no attention even when they reached the outskirts of the forest, pulling her horse ahead and leaving the other girl in the dust, not looking back. With a face like hers, she couldn't trust anything Krista said, and to Achi now more than ever, trust was one of the most valuable things in the world.

And the next day, after having endured through another one of Jean and Eren's bickering like a married couple about having no food which devolved into just their tired, old argument of who was the better trainee, Achi groggily sat up in her sleeping bag and rubbed an eye.

It was still early and everyone was asleep. She was thirsty.

Peering into the fog that had gently settled around them overnight, she knew there was a basin not far from where they had setup camp. So, heading for it with canteen in tow, bumping against her hip was careful not to stumble and fall because she'd rather not have a broken ankle, she heard the sound of hooves in the distance.

The two groups must be close by now.

Achi yawned. "Took long enough," she grumbled.

Going down to the basin, she went to re-fill her canteen when she spotted Krista and her horse. Not wanting to talk to her or even see her face, Achi scooped some water from the basin into her canteen after dumping the old and gulped a mouthful.

After a time, an awkward silence began to creep between them. It was Krista who tried to keep it at bay.

"Hey… Achi… About last night…"

She frowned. "Don't want to hear it. Save it for someone who cares."

The silence crept back, but, before it could embed itself, Krista tried to speak again. Though, whatever she was going to whine about this time was interrupted by the trees rustling behind them, and the sound of a shotgun being cocked.

"Don't move, and we won't have to hurt either of you."

 

Staring down the barrel of the shotgun pointed at her head, arms tied behind her back, Achi cursed; what she thought had been the other trainee group, ended up just being a bunch of bandits. Her eyes darting from the man who held it there to the second one who was busy tying Krista, remembering the turmoil immediately following Maria's fall, having witnessed what people were capable of when they had nothing to lose, she didn't want to know what their intentions for either of them were. She had to come up with something fast, and glanced over at Krista, expecting her to be balling her eyes out, but, the other girl was surprisingly — eerily — aloof.

"Now, if both of you would come quietly…"

A third man came forward then, holding two sacks like the ones the men pointing the guns at them were wearing. He himself wasn't wearing one, dressed in a hat and suit that looked very out of place in the middle of a forest, and his right eye… it was made from glass, the pupil crimson red, like scarlet...

She quickly went from him to the other two again.

Those shotguns, too, they weren't something the average bandit would have lying around. Or how bandits, average or not, were way out here in the first place.

"... we can negotiate a ransom without…"

But, now wasn't the time to be worrying about any of that.

"... having to resort to violence."

Whatever was in store for her and Krista when those sacks were placed over their heads, she wasn't going to be taken by these bastards. Not back then, not today, not ever and, in a sudden burst of action, Achi kicked the shin of the man behind her hard enough to shatter his knee-cap. As he fell away, she tried to snatch his shotgun, only to eat dirt instead.

"Feisty," the man with the glass-eye — who was clearly the one in charge at this point — said as the her captor held her down, pinned. He moved two fingers up and she was brought to her knees. He crouched down to get level with her. "Hrmm..." He rubbed his chin, his real eye going down her body. "You look capable enough, girl. What do you say to joining me?"

Achi bared teeth like a wild animal, attention drawn to his sleeve. It had dried, crusty bloodstains. This man was definitely no ordinary bandit. He was a bounty hunter.

Seemingly dejected when she didn't take him up on his offer, the man frowned and ordered them to be tossed into the back of a wagon not far from their group's camp. They must have been there the whole time. Waiting.

And when she tried to wiggle free of her restraints, the bounty hunter shook a finger. "Ah, none of that, hear?" He smiled at her. "Now, girl, this is your last chance to get out of this. What do you say?"

She smiled back mockingly. "I'm not a killer."

He glanced back over at Krista for brief second, then went back to her. "Ah, well, since you won't accept my offer… and there's no guarantee you'll keep your mouth shut…" He stepped forward into the wagon, and pulled something from inside his suit: a knife.

Just then, Krista got between them, defiant.

"Stop this!"

_Was she trying to get herself killed?!_

"Girl, you'd best not get involved. Your friend is a liability," the bounty hunter said, pushing her aside and holding the knife up further. Achi could only stare hopelessly at it as he prepared to plunge it into her chest.

That was when Krista rammed into him from behind. They fell to the floor, and as he tried to get up, using the opportunity, Achi's knee connected with his jaw. His head snapping back from the blow, he stumbled backward, tripped, and landed out the wagon with a thud, the knife dropped near Krista's face. Achi scooted after him, yelling for her to start running as soon as they hit the ground. This was their chance to escape!

Tumbling out of the wagon, Achi gave the man another kick for good measure, then sprinted until she broke through the treeline just as a bullet whizzed by her head. Another nearly hit her in the side, scraping her ribcage and she touched the spot. Blood came away and she winced.

She ran until she was sure they weren't going to find her and slumped down behind a tree, holding her side and looking around for Krista. Gritting her teeth from the pain, the other girl was nowhere to be found.

"That moron."


	13. Chapter 13

Knife held close to her throat, Krista looked up in the man's eyes, then at the gun pointed at her head; into the blackness of its barrel, dark and ominous and foreboding just like that small cave she had hold herself up in during her journey from Thorpe to Yarckel. Uncertain of the dangers that laid within, scared of what the outcome might be, she had conquered her fear and strove forward into it, coming out the next morning unscathed, but, as she was pulled to her feet, and marched to a wagon, it looked like, this time, she wouldn't be.

It didn't matter if she tried to improve through training or by eventually becoming a member of the military if all she continued to be… was worthless. Thought of others, as worth more. That was why Achi had abandoned her. Thrown her to the wolves, because nothing had changed.

She had just wanted to apologize for not being honest, for being such a piece of shit that couldn't even tell her friend the truth — that she had only helped Sasha to help herself — and that deep down, she was sorry for using her, too.

Though, the words hadn't come out.

Now she wanted to scream at Achi, tell her off for not even trying to listen to a word she'd said before. If she had, then maybe… maybe she wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe if she did it now, the knife against her throat would slide across, and end it all. 

Her mother's words echoed in her head.

_ If only you hadn't been born. _

The knife carving down to the bone.

_ Your name is Krista. _

She didn't want to die. Not something as… unfulfilling as that.

Now at the wagon, the man with the glass-eye opened the curtain and told her to watch her step.  She tried to get up, but, her legs, they were numb. She couldn't feel them. And her lungs. It hurt just to breath. Her arms. They was lifeless. Dead-weight.

What could she do? Achi and Ymir were right: she really was helpless, no matter what she did to try and cha—just then, the man with the glass-eye was slammed into the wagon, and Krista looked down, eyes widening. Appearing out of nowhere, Achi had barrelled into the man, yelling at her to get away while she had the chance.

But all Krista could do... was stand there. 

"Run, you stupi—guaff!" Achi was smacked in the face by the butt of a gun and she fell to the ground in heap, unconscious.

The man with the glass-eye shook his head with a  _ tsk, tsk _ . "Now you've done it.” 

She... could only watch as he got close to Achi with the knife again.

"I didn't want to have to do this..."

… Someone like her was…

"We can't have you causing any more unnecessary trouble."

"Please, don't!" Krista began to tear up. Why had Achi come back for something like her?!

"Ah, you thought I was going to…?" He held the knife away from Achi, and pulled a cloth from his suit pocket. He pressed it into the wound at her side. "Only intimidation, my dear. Can't have her bleeding out. A real fighter, this one." He peered up.

Krista followed his gaze skyward. Daybreak was fast approaching, light cracking through the trees.

"It seems that we're out of time, and if I were to take you away with me, there would be a whole other slew of problems to deal with. I don't want to babysit two brats, and my contractor only said to 'scare her senseless' — otherwise I don't get paid, thus… I have no choice but to let you go now. Finding you was trouble enough." He told the two men with him to tighten their restraints and start heading back.

As he was about to get into the wagon, Krista hollered after him. "Wait! Wha… Who send you… Was it my—?"

The man with the glass-eye put a finger to his lips, tipping his hat. "It's been… fun, my lady." 

He, his men, and the wagon departed thereafter, leaving them to the mercy of the wilderness.

Krista wiggled her way over to Achi. Tears still rolling down her cheeks, snot bubbling from her nose, she managed to get close enough to her side to see the damage. Moving the cloth with her teeth, she was expecting the worst.

Relief washed over her.

Achi was OK.

Grunting as the rope dug into her skin, she heard Almonds lapping at the basin and called out to him, wondering where he had been the whole time. He sat down next to her, and she laid her head on his mane.

Staring at Achi's oddly peaceful face — despite knowing her for some time, she had never seen the auburn-haired girl so relaxed — Krista cried even harder. She didn't know why the other girl had come back after wanting nothing to do with her, but, in that moment, she couldn't have been more glad.

 

“And this is the full report, Lenz?” 

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Chief Instructor Shadis signed and stamped it, then put it on top of a stack of others from that day. “Very well,” he said, motioning at the soldier behind her to open the door. “You may leave.”

Once outside, Krista started walking.

The report hadn’t been the full truth. Dragging her feet along the ground to wherever, she couldn’t trust anyone, and her heart hurt. Even Achi and Ymir. People she trusted, but deep down… she… She clutched at her chest, and twisted. Her heart, it ached.

Achi was still recovering from her injuries. Injuries incurred from risking her life to save someone as pathetic as her, and yet… here she was… still a piece of shit. Still worthing. Still nothing. That blow to the head had given her a concussion, they had said, and it would be some time before she regained consciousness again. A part of her felt that was for the best. Better she stay knocked out and forget the whole incident even happened, but, the other part of her, wanted her to know. Yet… she…

Thinking of those men and who must have hired them, she... 

She touched her wrists where the rope had left red stretch marks. It had taken Eren and the rest of their group — who had found them not long after — several minutes to cut through them. Especially coarse, the rope had been like those they had used to pulled their buckets of water from their deepest wells and tether their livestock together to keep them from wandering astray back in Thorpe. Study and made to last, the material used to make them was highly expensive. 

Isolde had once told her that it had taken a whole year’s worth of the village’s normal income to buy just one of them. Meaning, either those men had stolen it from the village, or someone had given it to them. There was only one person she knew of who could afford to: her father. It had to be, as there was nobody else who would know her true identity that was still alive.

But, then, what was his reason for checking in on her now? When, before, he had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her or her mother? And intimidation? Scaring her into doing what — staying on the path he forced her into? Was he afraid that she would go against it and take back her real name? 

She frowned.

He really was a coward and a fool.

Even if she did rebel, what would she accomplish? Getting killed outright? Her life would really be worthless then. At least in the military, by becoming a soldier, she had the chance to do something great for humanity. An image of Riecka — the Scouting Legion’s signature emblem, the Wings of Freedom, on the back of her uniform — came to her. 

She wanted to be useful, but, after this, she was beginning to doubt whether she would be at all. 

“Hey, Krista.”

“Ah!” Startled from her inner musings, Krista’s heart leapt in her throat. She caught herself, and tried to smile at Annie, who stood in front of her, blocking her from escaping. “H-Hi, Annie.”

“You haven’t told anyone, have you?” Her tone was low and threatening.

“Ah…” That night she had accidentally caught her sneaking around… “I-I…” She choked on her words, looking up into the other girl’s eyes. 

She had a sinking feeling in her gut that if her answer wasn’t some variation of ‘no’, Annie was going to snap her neck right then and right there. Though, just like back with Ymir, what right did Annie have to threaten her like that? Then again, Annie was significantly more frightening than Ymir, too. 

“No, I… I...”

No, she hadn’t joined the military to be walked on. She didn’t have to take this kind of treatment. Not again. Never again. She was going to be a soldier, right?! Just like when she had stood between Achi and that knife, if she was going to be a soldier, then it was time she started acting like one! 

“Why do you want to know, anyway?” she said. “Why is it so important to you that I don’t tell anyone?”

Seemingly unimpressed, Annie looked down at her like a wolf to a lamb. “Because,” — she loomed over her menacingly, ready to devour her — “It just  _ is _ .” She eased back. 

“Well, I haven’t!”

“Oh?”

Krista felt her legs buckle. Though, she wasn’t about to back down now. Meeting Annie’s ice cold stare with a fiery one of her own, they became locked in a brief struggle with their eyes until Annie eased back. 

“W-what is it?”

An exhausted sigh escaping her lips, Annie fixed a stray strand of her blonde hair with a finger. “It’s nothing. Just don’t tell anyone, alright?”

“I wasn’t! And what makes you think I was going to in the first place?!”

Annie looked away. “I had my reasons. A good person like you, I thought, was bound to say something eventually.” 

Krista noticed her twisting something on one of her fingers. A… ring? “Well, I—!”

“I know. You’re such a good person that you would never betray someone like that. I can see that now.” Annie fixed her attention back.

“Y… you can see it…?” Krista backed away, clutching her chest. “See… what…?” Had the other girl figured something out? Discovered something? About her? About her past?

“Your eyes.”

“My… eyes…?”

“They’re the eyes of a warrior.”

“A warrior? What do you mea—”

“Anyway,” — Annie cut her off, quickly changing subjects — “Someone was looking for you. I told her I’d tell you if I found you…”

“Who?”

“Mikasa.”

 

"First, we start with how to properly clean the equipment."

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her dormitory, still stripped down to her undergarments from an earlier workout, Mikasa began disassembling her Gear.

Following her movements, Krista couldn't keep up with her speed. She had just gotten through the gas canisters when Mikasa had her cloth in hand and started guiding it along her chosen piece from those neatly arranged on her side of the floor, moving onto the next in one fluid motion immediately after. By the time the rest of her Gear was taken apart, Mikasa was already reassembling hers, and it was clear to see why everyone regarded Mikasa — even the Chief Instructor, though he certainly wouldn't admit to it — as the best among the 104th.

Making sure it was secure, Mikasa presented it to her. "And that's how it's done."

"R-right..." Krista fumbled in her subsequent attempt to quickly finish her own, and winced, slicing open her finger on the fan attached to the black box that held the whole thing together. Applying pressure to the wound, she excused herself and made for the nearest latrine. Rinsing it, she scrubbed the area around and used the end of her shirt to lessen the bleeding as properly as she could. She held it there for a few moments, then peeked at it. It still bled. Watching it run down her hand and into the sink, she had been surprised when the other girl had personally offered to help her with training. For what reason, she had no clue.

"Here." 

Mikasa was beside her then, offering a bandage.

Krista took it, and wrapped it around her finger tight. In moments such as these, she was glad Isolde had taught so many things about medical care. Looking at Mikasa, she smiled. "Thank you..." 

Signature red scarf around her neck, now in shirt and pants instead of half-nude, Mikasa gave a thumbs up. A really stiff, and uncomfortable, thumbs up. "I think we should take a break for now," she said after. "Come find me again later."

Staring at her backside as she left, even though her shirt, Krista could see how well-toned the other girl was, and looked down at her own thin frame. She wondered if she could ever become that built, too…

 

Some time afterward, in the lecturehall, listening intently to their instructor go over all that they've learned thus far in this current section of the overall course in preparation for the exam that was coming up, Krista glanced over in Mikasa's direction. Seeing her calmly writing her notes next to Eren — who was more interested in exchanging silent threats with Jean across the hall — and Armin — who had several stacks of notes piled beside him  — after today's lecture was over it was back to the Vertical Maneuvering Gear training. During that time, she would be sure to ask her for more advice. If she wanted to become a soldier, the brightest of them all, then it wasn't just her mind she needed to train, either.


End file.
